Newcastle’s PIF owners to question Eddie Howe next week on poor run of form

• Club’s chair to fly in from Riyadh to question manager

• Board to also debate possible transfer of Anthony Gordon

Eddie Howe will discuss Newcastle’s declining form with the club’s Saudi Arabian majority owners when a high-powered contingent from Riyadh flies into the north for a scheduled board meeting next week.

The delegation, led by Newcastle’s chair, Yasir al-Rumayyan, from the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will quiz Howe face-to-face on his team’s run of eight defeats in 11 Premier League games. Before the meeting, Newcastle, who sit 14th, visit Arsenal on Saturday evening. Regardless of the result, Howe is expected to be afforded the chance to detail his recruitment and training plans for this summer. And while Rumayyan’s backing for Howe remains typically opaque, there are no indications the 48-year-0ld will not be given the season’s remaining five games to try to turn things around before an in-depth performance at the end of the season.