Eddie Howe’s not shying away from the pressure. Even with all the talk about his future at St James’ Park, he’s backing himself to stay on as Newcastle United head coach next season.

What a difference a year makes. A season ago, Newcastle were celebrating an EFL Cup win and a fifth-place league finish. Now, they’re down in 14th, just stumbling through 2026. Cup runs? Both were cut short by Manchester City. The Champions League? An 8-3 thrashing on aggregate against Barcelona in the last 16. In the league, it’s gone from bad to worse: nine losses from the last 12 matches, more than any other Premier League side since January.

European dreams? Barely there. Newcastle are seven points back from Bournemouth, sitting in seventh, with only four games left. Champions League qualification is totally out of reach; they’re a whopping 16 points off fifth.

On Thursday, Howe found himself at Matfen Hall for the club’s big annual summit with Newcastle’s Saudi-backed owners and executives. “Challenging conversations” is how he put it.

Fast forward to Friday’s pre-match press conference ahead of Brighton, and Howe didn’t dodge questions about his future or the club’s direction.

When a reporter asked if he’ll still be the manager next season, Howe shot straight: “Yeah, I presented; we discussed. The questions were tough, but that’s normal. Every year, no matter where we are in the league, there are challenging questions about decisions, about what led us here. You just explain your thinking. Sure, the questions are harder this year with where we are, but the process was the same as always.”

He’s not pretending things haven’t been tough, but he says he’s as driven as ever. “I don’t need to search for clarity about my future. I’m here, I’m working, I’m committed. The club has to feel we’re on the right path, that the feeling inside is positive, and that we fight on all fronts.”

And he gets it: the reality of football management never goes away. “You can say whatever you want, but it’s what the team does on the pitch that matters. I know that. I don’t need reinvigorating; I feel it already. The motivation's there.”

Howe admits that tough runs make you take a good, hard look at everything. “I’m learning more right now than I have in a long time. Sometimes, the hardest moments are when you improve the most.”

Does he expect to be here next season? “I have to keep that confidence. If you lose the long-term vision, what’s the point? But we need to win games. There’s unity at the club, but let's be honest, my job depends on results.”

Howe is also convinced the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle's 85% owners, aren’t losing faith in the mission.

“The ambition hasn’t changed,” he said. “The goal’s still the same: get to the top of the Premier League and win trophies regularly. As long as the PIF is the owner, I don’t see that changing. They’re very ambitious for the club. A lot of things, infrastructure-wise, take time. You can’t just snap your fingers. Everything’s connected to income, and rushing things risks getting it wrong.”

For now, Howe’s staring down the more immediate problem: snapping a four-game winless streak as Newcastle face Brighton this weekend. And he’s just given the latest on top scorer Anthony Gordon’s fitness because that’s what really matters on Saturday.

Newcastle are trying to move on from Yoane Wissa, even though they just splashed £55 million on him less than a year ago. Wissa, 29, joined last September on deadline day, part of the rush to find someone to fill Alexander Isak’s shoes. Nick Woltemade, another big signing, arrived at the same time.

Isak’s transfer got more attention, but Wissa’s story had its drama. He threatened to go on strike at Brentford and left their pre-season camp before Newcastle finally got their man, handing him the iconic No. 9 shirt. Since then, though, it’s just not worked out for either side.

Wissa was injured until December and has managed only three goals so far for Newcastle, far short of the 20 he scored in his last season at Brentford. Lately, he’s slipped down the order under Eddie Howe. William Osula and Woltemade keep getting picked ahead of him; he’s started just once in the last sixteen matches.

The Athletic reports that Wissa wants to stay, but the club is prepared to let him go and absorb the financial hit. If they do manage to sell him, Brentford get 25% of the fee thanks to a sell-on clause.

There’s still a tiny window for Wissa to change things. With four games left and Newcastle stuck in 14th place, maybe he can convince the club to keep him. Earlier in the season, he even skipped the Africa Cup of Nations just to stay fit and fight for his place.

Still, it’s been rough. Even Eddie Howe admitted, “The hardest thing for Yoane is that he wanted to rush back and prove himself, but we haven’t been able to train him properly. It’s been all stop-start. The best is still to come; I think a proper pre-season would really help.”

Fans have to wonder what Wissa’s exit would mean for Woltemade, too. Rumours say he could be leaving soon as well. Newcastle paid up to £69 million for him to fend off Bayern Munich, but nothing is settled yet.