Eddie Howe does not look likely to take charge of Newcastle United this weekend.

What's the talk?

That's according to a claim made by Luke Edwards, with The Telegraph journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, regardless of whether the 43-year-old is appointed as Steve Bruce's successor at St. James' Park prior to Saturday's trip to Brighton & Hove Albion, the former AFC Bournemouth manager will not be the man in the Magpies' dugout at the American Express Community Stadium this weekend.

In response to a fan asking whether Edwards expected Howe to be appointed before the Brighton fixture, the journalist said: "I doubt very much he will be in charge of the team against Brighton whether his appointment comes before it or not."

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how poor Newcastle United looked against Chelsea last time out, the news that Graeme Jones appears to be set to once again take charge of the Magpies on Saturday is sure to have left fans of the club gutted.

Indeed, while few would have expected a win against Thomas Tuchel's table-topping Blues side last weekend, the manner in which Newcastle succumbed to the visitors rightly left a number of the club's fanbase furious - with one stating their belief that "Jones is no better than Bruce," while another dubbed the performance as "disgusting."

It is not difficult to see why fans felt this way, as the home side enjoyed just 21% possession of the ball against Chelsea, as well as mustering one shot on target, creating no big chances and completing a total of 123 passes over the course of the 90 minutes - only eight more than Antonio Rudiger managed by himself.

And, with Brighton looking a much-improved outfit under Graham Potter this season, picking up 16 points over their opening ten fixtures of the campaign, it would appear wise for Newcastle fans not to hold their breath for a better performance, or indeed result, come Saturday afternoon. After all, they are yet to win under their interim boss.

In other news: Luke Edwards drops two-word Newcastle United manager update, fans will be fuming