The end of an era makes way for a new one.

Newcastle United’s new owners finally pulled the trigger and sacked head coach Steve Bruce on Wednesday morning.

Bruce was expected to be replaced after the Saudi Arabian-backed consortium, led by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), completed a £305m takeover of Newcastle on October 7.

The 60-year-old remained in charge for the disappointing 3-2 defeat to Tottenham – his 1,000th match as a manager – with non-executive chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and director Amanda Staveley watching on at St James’ Park.

The writing was always on the wall for the former Hull City and Wigan Athletic manager, and with the club languishing second bottom in the Barclays Premier League, and winless after their opening eight games, it was a matter of when and not if Steve Bruce will be relieved of his duties.

Upon the sacking, the club immediately put out a statement saying that the process of recruiting a new head coach is underway, and various reports already have former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca as the early front runners.

Newcastle to hold talks with Paulo Fonseca in next 24 hours with a view to appointing him as new boss. No decision on preferred option yet – but if talks go well Fonseca set to be No 1 target. More on @MailSport

— Sami Mokbel (@SamiMokbel81_DM) October 20, 2021

It is understood that Newcastle are currently holding talks with the Portuguese coach in with a view to appointing him as the new boss under the new regime, and the man tasked in leading the club into a new era.

Though Fonseca isn’t the only man being considered for the role, with Newcastle also sounding out for other irons in the fire in replacing Steve Bruce. But who are those options and what will they bring to St James’ Park?

Paulo Fonseca

The bookies favourite to take the managerial hotseat at St James’ Park, Paulo Fonseca has emerged as the front-runner to replace Steve Bruce at St James’ Park and if he does get the job, Newcastle supporters can expect attacking football and plenty of entertainment.

Indeed, it was his devotion to an attack-minded playing style that scuppered a potential move to Tottenham during the summer, the 48-year-old afterwards insisting the club’s managing director Fabio Paratici favoured a more defensive brand of football and as a result appointed former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo instead.

“The best way to defend is to have the ball,” said Fonseca in an interview with the Telegraph. “We have an obligation with supporters to create a spectacle, a good show. I have to be offensive and dominate the games… These are things which will die with me.”

These words will certainly ring sweetly in Newcastle fan’s ears as they’ve had to put up with more conservative, defensive and cautious approaches for much of the past decade.

Fonseca, 48, has been honing his preferred playing style throughout a managerial career which began in 2007. He started out in his native Portugal and, following spells in charge of Pacos Ferreira, Porto and Braga, where he won the Portuguese Cup, he moved to Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk and later Roma.

Paulo Fonseca had over 51% win record at Roma and a 74% win percentage at Shakhtar Donetsk, so he does seem the more plausible target to take Newcastle forward. He did evolve Roma tactically during his time there, and I’m sure that’s the reason #NUFC are after him.

— #AnthonyScouts 🕵🏾‍♂️⚽️🗣 (@antzhumbleent) October 20, 2021

Fonseca spent the last two seasons at Roma, finishing fifth and seventh in Serie A before being replaced by Jose Mourinho last summer, but he was more successful at Shakhtar, winning three consecutive league and cup doubles and enjoying some memorable moments in Europe too.

In December 2017, his Shakhtar side clinched a 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to secure a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Fonseca has been turning heads in the Premier League ever since then, attracting interest from Everton and West Ham before this summer’s approach by Tottenham, but it may now be at Newcastle that he gets his first chance in England. It’s a proposition which the Newcastle fans could well be potentially excited by.

Lucien Favre

Another leading frontrunner for the Newcastle job is former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. A man who would take a whole wealth of experience and know-how to St James’ Park.

Much of Favre’s 28-year managerial career has been spent in his native Switzerland and in Germany, save for two seasons in France with Nice, whom he led to their best ever Ligue 1 finish in his first full year in charge in 2016/17 – also managing Newcastle forward Allan Saint-Maximin in which he had difficulties in managing.

He also enjoyed success at FC Zurich, where he won successive Swiss Super League titles in 2006 and 2007, and at Borussia Monchengladbach having twice guided the club to Champions League qualification.

Favre has been unemployed since December 2020, when he was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after a season-and-a-half in charge. During his debut season in charge of the German giants, he became the first ever manager to remain unbeaten in his first 15 Bundesliga matches, including a 4–1 win against RB Leipzig, a 7–0 win against 1. FC Nürnberg, and a 4–0 win against Atlético Madrid.

His Dortmund side were exceptionally free-scoring during his first year in charge, favouring a a dynamic, quick and attacking-minded football where ball possession and change of tempo alternate. He finished his time at Dortmund with a 61% win percentage having also led the club to a German Super Cup triumph in 2019. He was sacked in December 2020, after a poor run of results, including a 5-1 thumping at the hands of VFB Stuttgart.

The Swiss manager was linked with a move to Crystal Palace in the summer but negotiations broke down with the club appointing Patrick Vieira instead.

Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe is the outsiders favourite for the role, and could be an exciting one at that.

The 43-year-old Englishman worked wonders at Bournemouth, guiding the south-coast club from the brink of relegation from the Football League to the Premier League, with a brief and unsuccessful spell at Burnley in-between. He kept Bournemouth in the Premier League for five seasons.

Howe has been out of work since leaving Bournemouth at the end of the 2019/20 season, when the club was relegated to the Championship.

That factor will be a major sticking point for many Newcastle fans and the new owners who are looking for a coach to guide them away from relegation this season.

He was approached by Celtic in May but turned down the offer.

Like the other four candidates, Howe is reported to be under consideration by Newcastle, and while his tenure at Bournemouth ended with disappointment, he is still viewed as a Premier League-level manager having worked wonders on the south coast with such a small budget.

He also transformed the careers of Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser, current forwards at St James’ Park and is well-known for favouring exciting, progressive and attack-minded football. What Howe could do with such a wealth of funds at his disposal remains to be seen, but if he does get the job, he will indeed not be the finished article in terms of leading the club into a new era.

There will be bumps in his tenure, one which the Newcastle will have to be patient with, but if there is any manager who can build again from the ground up, it is indeed Eddie Howe.

Amanda Staveley in a recent interview after the takeover stated that the Barclays Premier League trophy is a long-term ambition of the new regime, but is Eddie Howe up to that pressured task?

Outside Bets?

Steven Gerrard, Rangers

Another up and coming manager who needs no introduction.

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side won the league last year in remarkable fashion as invincibles. The former Liverpool midfielder is adored over the Scottish border after finally ending Celtic’s long standing domination in the Scottish Premiership, and will certainly be amped in leading the club to a league double this season.

Even prior to the takeover, the 41-year-old was touted to take over at St. James Park after working his way up the managerial ladder.

His current win ratio at Ibrox is a staggering 64.7% but it would be a different dynamic at Newcastle. His lack of top-flight experience would be his undoing as the club aims to remain in the Premier League first and foremost but its certainly a test the Liverpool legend would be excited by.

The Magpies are in desperate need of results to lift them away from the relegation zone, prior to an expected influx of money in January.

Gerrard has already spoken about the takeover tentatively and said it’s an “exciting” time for the Geordies.

Antonio Conte

Appointing Antonio Conte would indeed be a huge statement of intent from Newcastle.

The former Juventus, Italy, and Chelsea manager is available having left Inter Milan shortly after guiding the club to the Serie A title last season.

Conte is regarded as one of the finest managers in world football because of his siege mentality and knack for picking up the prestigious titles after just a season in charge. The Italian is a serial winner, and would command the respect of his players immediately if appointed.

Conte has also been touted as the next Manchester United manager if the club decide to do a U-turn and part ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The 52-year-old Italian has enjoyed success throughout his managerial career, including three successive Scudettos with Juventus and ending Inter’s 11-year wait for an Italian league title. Conte has also proved his pedigree in the Premier League, guiding Chelsea to the title in his first season before collecting the FA Cup in his second and final year.

Newcastle have not tasted cup success for a long while now, and Conte would be the immediate solution to that problem. However, the Italian does come with his baggage. He departed Inter because he wanted reinforcements which the club would not give him due to their financial issues.

If he was to be appointed, he would be blessed with great financial muscle from the Saudi owners and could make the most of rebuilding the club and moulding it in his image. Conte is tactically adept, arguably one of the best in the world but does come with a much more pragmatic and conservative approach rather than the expansive mindset the club is looking for, but his method clearly works and its one Newcastle would do well in considering.

The Italian would no doubt be able to help Newcastle attract top talent to the club, given his own standing in the game, although he does have a habit of falling out with club bosses over transfer targets.

Still, Conte would represent a significant upgrade on the former incumbents.