An update has emerged on Newcastle's search for a manager to replace Steve Bruce, regarding the main candidates in the race...

What's the talk?

According to The Times, Villarreal's Unai Emery, Rangers' Steven Gerrard and Belgium's Roberto Martinez are leading the way as PIF weigh up their options in the managerial market.

The report claims Bruce will remain in charge until a replacement is found, with the club seemingly narrowing their search down to these three names.

Excitement

This update from The Times will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling excited as all three of the leading candidates have their merits and could potentially be superb appointments by PIF. They are all currently excelling in their current roles, with the Magpies poaching an actively successful coach instead of picking up one who has recently been sacked.

Firstly, Martinez has had an impressive spell in charge of Belgium. He led them to third in the 2018 World Cup and fourth in the 2020 (2021) European Championships, whilst he also has over 200 Premier League games under his belt as manager of Wigan and Everton.

Gerrard, meanwhile, won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers last season. He has averaged 2.15 points per game across 186 matches in charge of the Glasgow giants, showing that he knows how to pick up points on a regular basis and would bring a winning mentality with him to St. James' Park.

Finally, Emery has a sublime C.V. Although he endured a difficult spell with Arsenal, he has proven his quality elsewhere as a manager. During spells with Sevilla and Villarreal, he has won an eye-catching four Europa League titles, beating Manchester United in the final earlier this year to secure his fourth, whilst he also won a Ligue 1 title and two French Cups during his time with PSG.

This shows that he knows how to win trophies and he could bring that trait along with him to Newcastle. This is why Magpies fans will be excited by the news that he, along with Gerrard and Martinez, is among the contenders to replace Bruce.

They are three impressive managers with a recent track record of achieving success and could help to lift Newcastle up the Premier League table. Emery, in particular, could increase their chances of winning silverware with his trophy-laden history as a coach in Spain and France.

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