Gareth Southgate’s England exit in the wake of the Euro 2024 final defeat has, inevitably, revived speculation Eddie Howe could depart Newcastle United to fill the Three Lions vacancy.
The Magpies boss is the current bookmakers’ favourite to replace Southgate in the national team hot seat but at the tender age of 46, it remains to be seen whether Howe is ready to give up the daily hustle and bustle of club management for the sedentary life of an England head coach.
Newcastle moved quickly to dispel any fears over Howe jumping ship, with CEO Darren Eales stressing Howe’s importance to the club and announcing he had signed a secret contract extension last summer. With all that in mind, where do we currently stand with Howe, his Newcastle future and a possible tilt at the country’s top job?
READ MORE: Eddie Howe hands surprise chance to exciting Newcastle United star tipped for exciting future
READ MORE: Newcastle United transfer news LIVE as £40m Bayern deal clarified and Eales explains plan
Newcastle’s incredibly strong position
News of Howe’s secret contract extension, signed last summer, caught everyone by surprise on Tuesday as Eales batted away fresh doubts over England’s potential interest. The new deal does not include a buyout clause, which means Newcastle aren’t vulnerable to a compensation package triggering Howe’s exit.
Furthermore, the salary of the Newcastle boss is said to be significantly higher than Southgate’s wage during his eight-year stint as the FA’s main man. It was an unseen move by the club to tie Howe down to what is being described as a ‘multi-year’ deal and it has left Newcastle in an incredibly strong negotiation position after watching the stock of their manager rise steeply since he took the helm in 2021.
As mentioned, the Magpies are also in a comfortable spot given Howe’s love of both club management and Newcastle itself. After moving his family to the north east shortly after himself becoming settled in the region, the St James’ Park chief has shown nothing but loyalty to his current surroundings, despite his deep links at the opposite end of the country.
Known for arriving at Newcastle’s training ground at 6am on the regular, the thought of Howe swapping the fast-paced nature of club football for a handful of matches per year, at this stage of his career, feels unlikely. This, despite once claiming he would love to manage England during his time as Bournemouth boss.
“The England job is the ultimate, I would never say no,” he said back in 2016. More recently, Howe made it clear his allegiance remains with Newcastle.
“I never say never, never say no, it won’t be something I am interested in. But in the short term it is not on my radar at all,” he said in 2023. “It is all Newcastle and trying to make this team better. I have always said I love the day to day coaching, love being with the players on the training ground, international football you get that taken away for long periods. At this moment in my life that is not something I want to do.”
England stance
So, where do England turn next after Southgate’s departure? Let’s start with the runners and riders.
Howe is currently the favourite among most, if not all, bookmakers. A short-priced shoe-in in the eyes of many, there is no shortage of capable and realistic options in stalking positions at present.
Graham Potter, still unemployed after his ill-fated stint at Chelsea, and England under-21 boss Lee Carsley are two very likely candidates. Both would jump at the chance to take the reins, especially the latter who reportedly turned down the Ireland job in the hope of earning an England promotion.
FA chiefs are said to favour a homegrown manager to take over from Southgate. That stance would rule out the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, both currently free agents after leaving Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively. If England did opt to repeat a foreign appointment after Fabio Capello and Sven-Göran Eriksson’s time at the helm, those two are the most likely suitors.
The Daily Star newspaper has pulled no punches over who they want to take the role, dedicating their front page on Wednesday to a very public plea for Jurgen Klopp to be offered the top job following his recent Liverpool exit.
Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the FA, has said work to appoint a successor is under way, with an ‘interim solution’ also on the cards. Newcastle, on the other hand, are confident Howe will be in change for the first game of the season against Southampton on the opening day of Premier League football.
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe (Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Strong internal confidence
Of course, just because Howe has signed a new deal and pledged his immediate loyalty to the club, does not mean England cannot test his resolve with an offer this summer. After all, it is a tough job to turn down – no matter where you are in your career.
Eales, along with the rest of the Newcastle board, are still confident Howe will be in charge come next month and long into the future. Here is what the CEO had to say on the matter this week.
“I don’t want to speak on hypotheticals, so let me just step back and go, going into a new season, for us as a club Eddie has done a brilliant job,” he told reporters while in Germany at the Adidas HQ.
“I wasn’t here at the start, but when you look at it from the outside in terms of where the club was and to take a club that was in the position, 19th to 11th at the end of that season and then to kick on into a Champions League spot the following season, is phenomenal. I’ve had the blessing to be able to work with Eddie and see how day to day and in terms of that man-management, on the grass, he is very hands on.
“He’s a great developer of players. He gets the psyche of the club and Newcastle and the fans. We’ve seen that with the way the team and the supporters have that affinity. For us, he is exactly the right man for the project we are on at Newcastle United and that is why we are committed to a long-term deal with him. That’s why we think he’s the right man for Newcastle. We love him.”
Did you know you can now get Newcastle United stories on WhatsApp? As well as our NUFC communities, we also have a channel dedicated to sending you the best news, opinion and analysis on all things black-and-white.
All you have to do is follow our channel on WhatsApp by clicking this link or you can find us by searching Chronicle Newcastle United.
Updates will then automatically appear if you select the Updates option on your WhatsApp menu and selecting the ‘Chronicle – Newcastle United’ channel. It’s as easy as that. There are already thousands signed up, but remember to turn your notifications on so don’t miss out.