Newcastle United's disappointing season continued as they were beaten 2-1 by Eddie Howe's former club Bournemouth at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon.
It was Newcastle's 15th Premier League defeat in 33 games this term, and surely increases the pressure on Howe, whose future has been under the spotlight in recent weeks following their exit from the Champions League.
Having participated in Europe's elite club competition this term, Newcastle lie in 14th position in the table, 10 points adrift of the top-five finish they'd need to return to the Champions League again in 2026-27.
That gap could be extended to 13 points on Sunday when fifth-placed Liverpool face Everton in the first-ever Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Magpies had the chance to go on and take all three points against their south coast opponents on Saturday when William Osula levelled the scores after Marcus Tavernier's first-half opener.
But instead, they were unable to find the net and were punished when Adrien Truffert scored a 85th-minute winner for the visitors.
Newcastle Chiefs Admire Mourinho
jose mourinho
According to GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs, members of the Newcastle hierarchy admire Jose Mourinho if they were to decide to sack Howe.
PIF are said to favour bringing in a big-name manager should they make a change, with the Portuguese icon and Roberto Mancini likely to be among their targets.
Of course, both managers have won the Premier League title during their careers, and the club's Saudi owners would hope they could bring similar success to St James' Park.
While doubts remain over whether Newcastle could wield the axe on Howe, there has also been talk he could walk away himself if he feels he can't turn things around.
The Magpies are facing up to losing at least one of their key players during the summer transfer window, with the club set to be forced to sell if they want to bring in new signings.
Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento are among the names being linked with a move away from St James' Park ahead of the summer.
Newcastle Should Get Iraola Instead
Andoni Iraola applauds Bournemouth supporters
According to Jacobs, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola would be keen on a switch to Newcastle should the opportunity arise.
It was confirmed this week that the Spaniard will be leaving the Vitality Stadium at the end of the season when his contract expires, and he is expected to be in demand.
The Cherries extended their Premier League unbeaten run to 13 matches at St James' Park, which is remarkable after losing their best player in Antoine Semenyo during the January transfer window.
Bournemouth haven't lost in the league since he left for Manchester City in January, and the south coast outfit's fine form this term comes after losing other key players like Dean Huijsen, Dominic Solanke and Milos Kerkez in recent seasons.
Iraola has proved he is fantastic tactically, with Sky Sports pundit Sam Tighe previously telling GMS that he is 'the best young coach in the world'.
With the Premier League experience he has, the Spaniard clearly has a huge future and he could be just the refreshing young manager needed to take Newcastle forward after the brilliant work Howe has done.