Former Sunderland player Dwight Yorke has had his say on Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United exit.

Eddie Howe is set to step down as Newcastle United boss after almost five years in charge - and former Sunderland player Dwight Yorke has offered his verdict on the shock exit.

The 48-year-old arrived on Tyneside in November 2021 and ended the club’s 70-year wait for domestic silverware with Carabao Cup glory in 2025. His time in charge also saw the Magpies twice qualify for the Champions League. However, last season was a disappointment as Newcastle limped to 12th place in the Premier League - including two derby day defeats to Sunderland, and Yorke believes those two losses haven’t helped him.

The Magpies have also endured a difficult summer transfer window with the departure of stars Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, while speculation continues over the future of captain Bruno Guimaraes. Howe was in charge for a 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat at Bristol City on Wednesday night. It is understood that Howe’s departure from the club is amicable. Al-Ahli head coach Matthias Jaissle is one of the names that have been linked with taking over at St James’ Park.

Speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer football odds, Yorke said: “Eddie Howe losing twice to Sunderland and finishing below them last season didn’t resonate very well with the fans. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, when it comes to your local derby, you cannot lose both of those games in a season. No matter what else is going on against the other teams, you have to get a result in these games. To lose both home and away to your rival like that, it’s unsustainable because the local fans know what comes with it.”

Dwight Yorke on Sunderland qualifying for the Europa League

“No one expected Sunderland to do as well as they did last season, and they’ve done incredibly well. They defied the odds in so many respects and now they’re in Europe. I mean, after Leicester City winning the league, that’s as good as an achievement you will ever get from a team that was predicted to finish last and get relegated.”

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Yorke added: “I would think that anything that is finishing in the top 10 would be a success but the problem is when you finish seventh then suddenly anything below that the next season can look negative. If you don't finish in a position above where you finished last time, it’s never good enough for some people. Sometimes even owners can get ahead of themselves when realistically you would think that survival in the Premier League is more important than another finish in the European places.

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“Sunderland had a season to remember but this season, so long as they are surviving, they should be happy with finishing in the top 13 or top 14 teams in the Premier League. If we can finish in those positions again without the stress of slipping into the relegation battle, then that’s where I want to be. But you know, when you finish in seventh place, and then don’t better that result, you start hearing some people saying you should sack your manager and make changes because you feel like you should be pushing on to finish sixth.

“When the likes of Chelsea and all the rest of them are struggling with their bigger budgets and greater expectations, you realise maybe Sunderland are fine to follow their own path because you’ve got to be careful how you approach this second season. I think survival and top 12 would be a good successful season for Sunderland, especially now playing in Europe.”

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