Former Bournemouth head coach Eddie Howe is reportedly closing in on a deal to take over at Newcastle United to replace Steve Bruce.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 43-year-old has agreed a deal until 2024, with the move in the final stages of being finalised.

Bruce was relieved of his duties by PIF last month and Howe now comes in to try and keep the Magpies in the Premier League, as they sit 19th in the table after 10 games.

Imagine him and Howe

One Newcastle player who could thrive as a result of this prospective appointment is centre-forward Callum Wilson, who worked with Howe at Bournemouth for a number of years. Imagine a reunion at St James' Park between the pair which could see the striker's full potential unleashed.

He played under the 43-year-old in 187 matches for the Cherries, finishing with an impressive 67 goals and 31 assists in all competitions. In his last two Premier League campaigns under Howe's management, the forward managed an outstanding return of 22 goals and 10 assists, averaging a superb WhoScored rating of 6.99.

Howe previously lauded Wilson as a unique and outstanding player, highlighting the creative side to his game as well as his goalscoring.

The former Burnley boss said of the 29-year-old: "He is an outstanding player with unique attributes for us. He has that ability to run in behind and he’s got the work ethic off the ball and, of course, he knows where the goal is.

“What was also hugely impressive was his assist for Ryan at a key moment in the game with the game still in the balance. He managed to find Ryan, who was almost behind him with a great reverse pass and it really sealed the win for us.”

This season, Wilson is averaging 0.5 key passes and 9.5 passes per game under Bruce and now Graeme Jones, suggesting that he has been left limited in what he can do due to the systems which had been in place. In the 2018/19 campaign under Howe, the striker averaged one key pass and 14.7 passes per game, hinting that the ex-Cherries coach knows how to unlock Wilson's creative capabilities.

The £19.8m-rated marksman could be unleashed by the seemingly imminent appointment of Howe in terms of what he is able to do in the final third. Instead of being left isolated and feeding off scraps, the 43-year-old could get him more involved in games from a build-up standpoint, allowing Wilson to provide key passes for his teammates whilst still getting in the box to score for himself.

AND in other news, Howe could find his next Lerma for NUFC in £63m-rated beast who is a "joy to coach"...