Tanya Oxtoby in Talks to Lead Newcastle United

Tanya Oxtoby, the manager of Northern Ireland, has entered advanced discussions regarding the head coach position at Newcastle United, a club competing in the Women’s Super League 2 (WSL 2).

At 43 years of age, Oxtoby has been at the helm of the Northern Ireland national team since 2023. Prior to this role, she managed Bristol City from 2018 to 2021 and served as the assistant coach to Emma Hayes at Chelsea for two seasons. Her coaching experience also includes positions with Scotland, Birmingham City, Perth Glory, and the Australia Under-20 team.

Oxtoby commenced her managerial career at Nottingham Forest in 2012. Under her leadership, Northern Ireland faced challenges in recent competitions, including a loss to Norway in the Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs last year and a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Iceland, which resulted in missing promotion to the top tier of the Nations League.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United has been without a head coach since Becky Langley departed on October 21. The team is currently positioned ninth in the league table. After transitioning to a fully professional setup in 2023, Newcastle finished fifth in their inaugural campaign in WSL 2 last season. This year, the top two teams from WSL 2 will secure automatic promotion to the top flight, while the third-placed team will compete in a playoff against the bottom team in the WSL.