Eddie Howe is in no hurry to return to management. The former Newcastle United head coach has turned down an approach from Lens, the Ligue 1 club who competed in this season's UEFA Champions League, according to a report by TEAMtalk.

Howe, 48, departed Newcastle after five years at the helm — a tenure that transformed the club from relegation candidates into Carabao Cup winners and Champions League regulars. His exit was not impulsive; sources indicate he had been weighing up leaving for some time before the decision was finalised.

A summer of big departures at Newcastle

The close season saw several key players leave St. James' Park, with Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes, and Sandro Tonali all sold for substantial fees. Long-serving figures Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson, and Nick Pope were also phased out of the squad. Faced with a sweeping rebuild, Howe chose to walk away on his own terms, with Matthias Jaissle appointed to steer the transition.

Lens make their move

Lens had been searching for a new manager after Pierre Sage — who had guided Le Sang et Or to second place in Ligue 1 and into the Champions League league phase — left Stade Bollaert-Delelis to take over at Crystal Palace in place of Oliver Glasner.

Club owner and president Joseph Oughourlian sounded out Howe before ultimately naming Yannick Cahuzac as permanent manager. Howe, however, was not interested in taking on the role.

Back on the south coast

The Amersham-born coach has returned to Dorset, enjoying a family sabbatical on the south coast — much as he did after leaving Bournemouth in 2020. That earlier stint at the Vitality Stadium lasted eight years and ended with a final-day relegation during the first pandemic lockdown, after which Howe stepped aside for assistant Jason Tindall.

Between his Bournemouth and Newcastle spells, Howe spent roughly 18 months out of the game, travelling across Europe to study different coaches — among them Andoni Iraola, who would later take charge at Bournemouth himself. When Howe returned to management with Newcastle, he had evolved tactically, moving away from his familiar 4-4-2 toward a more contemporary 4-3-3.

His reputation on the south coast remains untouchable. Howe first took charge of Bournemouth in 2008, saving the club from almost certain extinction after a 17-point deduction in League Two, then earning promotion to League One. His second stint saw him lift the Cherries from the third tier all the way to the Premier League in three-and-a-half years.

Meanwhile, Newcastle face Aston Villa at St. James' Park this weekend in the Premier League, looking to recover from a 4-1 defeat to Coventry City.