It's expected that Eddie Howe will be confirmed as the new manger of Newcastle United in the next few days but just a week ago the picture looked very different.
Early last week, Villareal manager and ex-Arsenal Head Coach Unai Emery was thought to be close to being appointed to the role, as stories broke about the Magpies new owners desiring to appoint the Spaniard. However, Emery distanced himself from the role and made a statement saying he was committed to his job at Villareal.
Before that, Paulo Fonseca had been the favourite and Spanish football pundit Guillem Balague has claimed that the ex-Roma manager believed he was set for the role.
"Paulo Fonseca had three interviews with the decision makers at Newcastle. It got to a point where he thought he was going to be the chosen one," Balague told BBC Radio Five Live, as reported by HITC.
"When they realised, or thought or assumed, that Unai Emery was going to be the one, they went back to Paulo Fonseca and said ‘no sorry it’s not going to be you’. He was that close, or at least he thought he was that close to getting it," he added.
The Portuguese manager had success in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk and brought his possession heavy, attacking style to Rome. He was thought to be the kind of manager which could bring about a change in play-style at St James' Park.
However, it seems that Amanda Staveley and the rest of Newcastle's new ownership group preferred the idea of Howe's experience in the Premier League, alongside with how he had Bournemouth performing in their early seasons in the Premier League, rather than returning to Fonseca after Emery rejected the role.
