Graeme Jones will take charge of Newcastle’s next two matches with favourite Paulo Fonseca yet to be offered the job by new Saudi owners
- Graeme Jones to manage Newcastle for at least the next two games
- The Magpies visit Crystal Palace on Saturday before hosting Chelsea
- There were suggestions that Paulo Fonseca was on the verge of taking charge
- Sources say the former Roma boss is one of several names they are considering
Graeme Jones has been told to take charge of Newcastle United’s next two matches as the club’s Saudi-backed owners continue their managerial search.
There had been a suggestion that bookies’ favourite Paulo Fonseca was on the verge of being appointed after talks with the consortium this week.
However, sources say the former Roma boss is one of several names they are considering and that he has not been offered the job.
Sportsmail understands that Roberto Martinez, Lucien Favre and Unai Emery are high on the list of those still in the frame to replace Steve Bruce.
The owners, led on the ground in the UK by Amanda Staveley, believe Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace will be informative as to how urgent the need is for a permanent appointment.
They are hoping that an immediate improvement under Jones will buy them some time in finding the right man to come in.
Jones said: ‘I spoke to the owners on Wednesday morning and they have asked me to take the team on an interim basis for the next two games, so Crystal Palace and Chelsea at home.
‘As I’ve said previously, I am fully focused on preparing the team the best we can to be competitive in those two games.’
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