Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby is reportedly set to become the next head coach of WSL 2 side Newcastle United.
Tanya Oxtoby in advanced talks with Newcastle United
The BBC have reported that Oxtoby is in advanced talks over the position, which has been vacant for the last month.
It will be a change of scenery for the 43-year-old after two years at the helm of Northern Ireland.
She last held a club managerial role with Bristol City between 2018 and 2021, and has since also held assistant roles at Scotland and Chelsea under Emma Hayes.
Newcastle parted ways with previous manager Becky Langley on October 20th.
A club statement said: “Everyone at Newcastle United thanks Becky sincerely for her service to the club and wishes her the very best in her future career.”
She left the Magpies after winning one of their opening six WSL 2 games. Newcastle have improved ever since, moving up from ninth to fourth after victories over Sunderland and Durham.
The top two sides from the WSL 2 will be promoted to the top flight, due to the WSL’s expansion to 14 teams next season. Meanwhile, the team in third will face a playoff with the team that finishes bottom of the WSL to determine the final team in the league.
How has Oxtoby done at Northern Ireland?
Oxtoby’s expected Northern Ireland departure comes after two years in the dugout.
Under her guidance, Northern Ireland reached the playoffs in qualifying for Euro 2025. After beating Croatia in the first round, they crashed out at the final hurdle with a 7-0 aggregate defeat to Norway.
Last month, Northern Ireland also lost 5-0 to Iceland on aggregate, missing out on promotion to the top tier of the Nations League.
The 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying draw has pitted Northern Ireland against Switzerland, Turkiye and Malta.
However, Northern Ireland might need to find a successor to Oxtoby, before they face Switzerland in their first qualifying game on March 3rd.
Before spells at Northern Ireland, Oxtoby also had spells as Scotland, Birmingham City, Perth Glory and Australia Under-20s assistant.
