Alan Shearer, the Newcastle United legend, has sent a farewell message to manager Eddie Howe following his sudden departure from the Magpies.
Shearer wrote, in his column with the BBC "Thank you, Howe. You gave me the best day of my life as a Newcastle fan."
"Whatever the reasons that led you to leave the club, I think every fan of my age or younger, and I am 55 years old, will say the same thing," he continued.
"Eddie Howe will always remain a legend in the eyes of the Newcastle supporters, because he ended our long wait to win a major trophy, thanks to that historic day he gave us at Wembley when we won the League Cup in 2025," Shearer stressed.
He then turned to the trouble behind the scenes. "What happened last summer set Newcastle back significantly, after Alexander Isak left and the club failed to sign its main targets in the transfer market," he explained.
"Unfortunately, this trend continued this year too. And I would not be surprised if that had an impact on Eddie's thinking about staying or leaving, and it also makes me worried about what will happen next," he noted.
The former striker fears a testing year ahead. "As a fan only, I think we have to prepare for a difficult season and for times full of challenges. The timing of Eddie's departure is what surprised me most. We are three weeks into the pre-season preparation period, and there are only three weeks left until the start of the Premier League," he pointed out.
"I do not know exactly what happened behind the scenes for this to happen now, but I expect that, from his point of view, he was watching his best players being sold one after another, starting with Isak, then Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer, with continued speculation over the future of captain Bruno Guimaraes," he said.
Reports suggest that Matthias Jaissle is the leading candidate to succeed Howe, following his resignation from coaching Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia.
On Newcastle's situation, he commented: "I think even the most experienced managers would find this situation difficult, while Matthias Jaissle, the candidate to take the post, is only 38 years old."
"Despite his success with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, it cannot be compared to working in the Premier League, which is a completely different world," he pointed out.