Manager Eddie Howe Leaves Bournemouth After Relegation

Eddie Howe with Bournemouth in 2020
Eddie Howe with Bournemouth in 2020. Photo by Craig Galloway/ProSports/Shutterstock (10723116cb)

Eddie Howe is no longer the manager of Bournemouth. The two sides agreed to part ways after the club was relegated from Premier League following the conclusion of the 2019/20 season.

Howe leaves Bournemouth after 25 combined years with the club as a player and manager.

“Having spent a total of 25 years with the club as both a player and a manager, this decision – made together with the club – is one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make,” said Howe in a letter published by the club. Bournemouth will always be in my heart, but I firmly believe that now is the right time for the club to have a change.”

Howe is expected to be in consideration for possible openings in Premier League, including the positions at Newcastle United and Crystal Palace. It also wouldn’t be surprising if he takes some time off.

Bournemouth, on the other hand, will now embark on a search for a new manager, as the team begins a rebuild in Championship amid the likely departure of their best players. The early list of candidates for the job includes Howe’s longtime assistant Jason Tindall, former Chelsea defender and Aston Villa assistant John Terry, and ex-Bristol City boss Lee Johnson.

Eddie Howe played 270 games as a player with Bournemouth in two different stints between 1994 and 2007. Howe took over as club’s manager in 2008 and went on to lead the club to League One (third tier in English domestic competition) in his first stint at the helm. He departed in 2011 to take over the Championship side Burnley.

After less than two years with Burnley, Howe returned to Bournemouth. In his second stint, he managed to win the promotion to Premier League in 2015. The club’s best finish in the top flight was ninth place in 2016–17 season.