With Gareth Southgate having resigned after eight years as England manager, Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is one of several high-profile names being heavily linked with the job. The Football Association will need to act very quickly, with England back in action playing in the Nations League in the first week of September.
The current speculation about Howe is not the first time he has been linked with the England manager job – while in charge at Bournemouth back in 2016, his name was very much in the frame for the position, but what are his thoughts on what is often described as the biggest job in football?
Eddie Howe Favourite to be Next England manager
Englishman has been coy about the position in the past
Howe has spoken publicly about being England manager in the past. Back in the aftermath of Euro 2016, when Gareth Southgate was still only in the post as an interim manager, Howe said:
“The England job is the ultimate, I would never say no.”
Now Newcastle manager at a time when the club have serious ambitions of winning silverware and competing for a Champions League place, something they have already achieved, Howe has been more cautious on the topic of being the national manager. However, his quotes in distancing himself from the job came after the 2022 World Cup and appeared to be out of respect to Gareth Southgate and his coaching staff, who were still in the post at the time, when he said:
“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.”
While it might not have been on his radar, it very much will be now. With Newcastle preparing for the 2024/25 season this will be a major distraction for a club, who would not want to be looking for a new manager so close to the new season. There is also the nature of the England job to consider for Howe, where you simply aren’t out on the training ground every day, which is something Howe has reflected on.
“I have always said I love day-to-day coaching, love being with the players on the training ground, with international football you get that taken away for long periods. At this moment in my life, that is not something I want to do.”
Eddie Howe’s Managerial Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Club | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost |
Bournemouth: 2008-2011 | 102 | 51 | 17 | 34 |
Burnley: 2011-2012 | 86 | 35 | 17 | 34 |
Bournemouth: 2012-2020 | 355 | 144 | 75 | 136 |
Newcastle: 2021-present | 125 | 62 | 27 | 36 |
Howe is a Passionate England Fan
Again, these were his words in 2022 and two years is a very long time in football. At his core, Howe is no different to all of us, he is a huge fan of the game. He would have been nine when England were undone by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Quoted in the Sun, he revealed how as a kid he would play football in the garden pretending to be Gary Lineker, who won the Golden Boot in that tournament. That burning passion remains:
“I was very passionate and still am about my country and England doing well.”
Unsurprisingly, Newcastle are taking a strong stance on Howe’s future, adamant he is going nowhere other than continuing to lead the Geordies. Both they and Howe will know full well, that despite the pressure and the scrutiny, it is rare to be offered the national job. At 46, he is at the ideal age and equipped with unique managerial experience. He was at Bournemouth when they were staring relegation to the National League in the face, while last year he managed in the Champions League. This chimes well with the Football Association, as they require someone who not only gets results, but can represent the entire English football pyramid.
The speculation will be hugely distracting for Howe. The FA would have to pay £5m in compensation to Newcastle for his services. Talking recently to Gary Neville on the Overlap, Howe said he was too focused on Newcastle to think about anything else. The current speculation will put that focus to the test.
Stats via Transfermarkt. Correct as of 18.07.24