Tanya Oxtoby in Talks for Newcastle United Head Coach Position

Tanya Oxtoby, the current manager of Northern Ireland, is in advanced negotiations to assume the role of head coach for Newcastle United, a team competing in the Women’s Super League 2 (WSL 2).

Oxtoby, aged 43, has led Northern Ireland since 2023, having previously managed Bristol City from 2018 to 2021. She also served as the assistant coach to Emma Hayes at Chelsea for two seasons and has experience working with teams such as Scotland, Birmingham City, Perth Glory, and the Australia Under-20s. Her managerial career commenced at Nottingham Forest in 2012.

Under her leadership, Northern Ireland faced setbacks in their recent campaigns, including a loss to Norway in the Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs last year and a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Iceland last month, which resulted in missing out on promotion to the top tier of the Nations League.

Newcastle United has been without a head coach since Becky Langley departed on October 21, with the club currently sitting ninth in the league standings. They transitioned to a fully professional setup in 2023 and finished fifth in their inaugural season in the second tier. This season, the top two teams in WSL 2 will secure automatic promotion to the top flight, while the third-placed team will enter a play-off against the bottom club in the Women’s Super League.