The best man for the Newcastle United job
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe is a leading contender to succeed Gareth Southgate as England manager – but the club is 'protected'.
Newcastle United fans know the best man for the England job – and that’s the problem.
The Football Association are looking for a successor to manager Gareth Southgate, who yesterday resigned following his team’s loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
And Eddie Howe, the man who took a club facing relegation to the Championship football to the Champions League in the space of two years, is a leading contender for the national job.
In fact, the bookmakers have now installed him as the 9/4 favourite for the post ahead of the out-of-work Graham Potter, and this has led to some unease on Tyneside as Howe and his United players prepare for the new season at a training camp in Germany.
However, this is a situation which the club saw coming early in Howe’s tenure.
Back in 2022, then-sporting director Dan Ashworth tackled a question on the prospect of a potential FA approach for Howe after that year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Speaking to journalists in a Level 7 box, Ashworth – who knew the FA’s thinking on managerial candidates, having worked for the national association earlier in his career – was relaxed about the situation.
Asked if there was an England release clause in his contract, Ashworth said: "No. We have done everything we can from a contractual point of view that you'd do for a manager coaching staff to protect the club as much as we can.
“Things are in a good place and I would sincerely hope and be confident he'd stay."
Newcastle, with a strong in-house legal team now in place, are good at “protecting” themselves, as Ashworth himself found out when he asked to join Manchester United earlier this year.
New contract
Howe – who has implemented a high-pressing, attacking style of play – who quietly signed a new “multi-year” deal last year.
Again, the club has protected itself, according to Darren Eales, United’s chief executive officer.
“I don’t want to talk on specifics, but it’s a multi-year deal,” Eales told journalists this week. “We want him to be our manager long-term, and that’s why we gave him a new long-term contract last year.
“In those circumstances, like any employee from us, there will have to be compensation paid (if someone wants him).
“Again, it’s hypothetical, but he’s under a multi-year deal, there’s not a set number (for compensation). He’s our employee, so from that perspective we’re not looking to release Eddie for all the reasons I’ve spoken about.
“He’s a top coach, he’s the right coach for Newcastle United at the right moment, and this is the coach we want to lead the club for the future.”
The cost of getting Howe out of his contract could be prohibitive for the FA.
Howe’s view
Howe will no doubt be flattered to be the leading contender for the England job.
Speaking in 2022, Howe stressed that at this stage of his career he wanted a “day-to-day” job in club football, though he suggested that there might come a time when international management would interest him.
“I never say never,” said Howe. “Never say ‘no, it won’t be something I’m interested in’.
“But, in the short term, (being England manager) isn’t on my radar at all. I’ve 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’s not something I want to do.”
Howe is happy and settled in the job, though there are financial challenges as the club increases its commercial revenues.
The club wasn’t able to strengthen its squad midway through last season amid a crippling injury crisis, and Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh left last month to ensure compliance with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.
This month also saw the club announce the imminent departure of popular co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, who have worked closely with Howe since his appointment in October 2021.
That appointment, which followed the departure of Steve Bruce, proved to be a masterstroke.
And Howe, importantly, is still the best man for the United job.