Talks are ongoing between Newcastle and Eddie Howe over their vacant manager’s position.

Howe has been out of work since leaving Bournemouth at the end of the 2019/20 season following their relegation from the Premier League.

But the 43-year-old is under serious consideration to take over at Newcastle after Villarreal manager Unai Emery rejected the chance to move to St James’ Park.

Howe has held talks with Newcastle’s new owners in the past fortnight, as well as with the club’s previous owners before the takeover.

He attracted interest from Celtic earlier this year, but turned down the chance to replace Neil Lennon at Celtic Park.

Newcastle owners are still considering alternative options, with Roberto Martinez and Paulo Fonseca among them.

Fonseca held talks with Newcastle two weeks ago, and it is understood the Portuguese would be keen to reignite discussions.

Coach Graeme Jones, who has previously worked with Martinez, remains in caretaker control of the first team and will be in the dugout for their match away at Brighton on Saturday.

Newcastle remain without a win and sit in 19th place, on four points from their opening 10 matches.

Emery: I am not leaving

Emery released a statement on Wednesday to say he would not be leaving Villarreal to become Newcastle manager, despite holding talks with the club.

In a statement released on his Twitter account, Emery said: “For all the noise there was yesterday in another country, within the club there has been transparency and loyalty with the Roig family, that for me is most important.

“Villarreal is my home and I am 100 per cent committed to the club.

“Honestly, I am grateful for the interest shown by a great club, but am also even more grateful to stay here, and I have communicated to Fernando Roig my decision to want to continue as part of this project and for the commitment and respect that I have received from the club and my players, it is mutual and reciprocated.

“I also want to show gratitude for the love and support that has always been shown to me. This Sunday, we have a very important game and I hope that, together, we can achieve victory. We will see you in the Estadio Ceramica.”

Howe on playing style, Bournemouth exit and more…

After Emery’s decision to stay at Villarreal, Newcastle have turned to Howe – and the former Bournemouth boss gave an insight into his management style during a guest appearance on Monday Night Football at the end of last year.

Howe, who took Bournemouth on a fairy-tale journey from the bottom of League Two to the Premier League in six-and-a-half years and kept the club in the top flight between 2015 and 2020, joined Jamie Carragher on the show to open up on his time in charge of the Cherries, as well as his philosophy on the game…

On style and balancing attack with defence:

“We always decided to go on the attacking side because we know that if we pictured Bournemouth at our best, it was free-flowing attacking football, it was not sitting back, soaking up pressure and defending.

“We prided ourselves on that and worked on that continually to be better at our attacking play. We looked at that as our best form of defence, to attack and attack hard.

“I don’t think you can be something you are not; my mindset is to try to win games first, rather than not lose. My mindset when I go into a game, even if people will think we have set up differently, we are deep-lying, we are passive, it’s always to win the game. Always.”

Why it went wrong for Bournemouth in the end:

“We just lost our zip a little bit. There are various reasons for that, it was a combination; a lot of injuries, all through the team, and when you lose your best players, as well-documented this season with the amount of injuries in the Premier League, your team gets harmed.

“I think that is when what got harmed for us was confidence levels. If you do not go out into every game thinking you are going to win, or believing you can win, that is when there is trouble for your team.”

On leaving Bournemouth and next challenge:

“It definitely was not the way I wanted it to end, but it was probably the only way it could end. I was so attached to the club, loved it with every fibre of my body, but I just felt it was the right thing to do for the club, to leave. The energy involved, the time that I was there, to get the club to where it was and keep it there, it takes an incredible amount out of you.

“I made my decision for the best interests of Bournemouth and myself. I wanted to be at home and be with my family, to see my kids grow up, I wanted to learn and develop my knowledge and abilities as a manager. I do not want to get back in just for the sake of it, it would have to be something that really motivated me.”

Newcastle’s upcoming fixtures

November 6: Brighton (A)

November 20: Brentford (H)

November 27: Arsenal (A)

November 30: Norwich (H)

December 4: Burnley (H)

December 12: Leicester (A) – live on Sky Sports Premier League