Pressed directly on the job in England, Eddie Howe said at the news conference, “I was not. There was no contact from the FA.” The 46-year-old coach stated his full intent on managing Newcastle United. The statement was a surprise to many football pundits and fans since the recent hiring of former Chelsea and PSG boss Thomas Tuchel to head the national team.
Howe, who has been the head of Newcastle United since 2021, admitted that this appointment was good news for the team in England. “I’ve got a relationship with Thomas, and I was lucky enough to go and see him work at Chelsea when I was out of work. What a brilliant guy. What a great coach,” he added, admiring the German coach.
Despite his praising of Tuchel, Howe revealed that he had hoped an English coach would have been handed the prestigious role, saying, “My preference would have been for an English coach, but if you are going to go foreign, then go for the best, and Thomas is certainly that.” Yet, he claimed that his concentration remained on Newcastle United and was dismissive of any irritation about not being considered himself for the job: “England have to do what is right for them. For me, it’s about Newcastle and trying to win games.”
Pundits Bemused at Omission of English Football Managers
Most within the footballing circle were shocked to see Eddie Howe manager not be named on the list of candidates for the England job as announced by the FA. Among several others, Mikel Arteta, Sean Dyche, and Alan Shearer shared their reactions to Howe’s failure to even get an interview for the position.
On the podcast The Rest is Football, former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer reacted with incredulity: “I’m surprised Howe wasn’t approached. He is one of the best English football managers and, for me, would have been the main English candidate.” Shearer made sure to underline that, having taken Newcastle United around so dramatically before then going into a Champions League spot for this coming 2022-23 season, he was very well placed for the national team.
Sean Dyche, the Everton manager, mirrored that assertion when he postulated that Howe’s snub was somewhat not expected because he is one of the best English managers available. “He was someone who there was noise about, and rightly so. But he may look at it differently with what is going on at Newcastle,” Dyche said, pointing to the Eddie Howe Newcastle contract.
Arsenal’s head coach, Mikel Arteta, also had something to say about the matter. While he understood that some fans were disappointed the FA had again opted for a foreign manager, he felt the appointment of Tuchel was a reflection of how attractive the England job now is. “The fact that someone like Tuchel is interested in the England job should be a source of pride,” Arteta said. He added that such openness to international coaches is actually a reflection of the respect that foreign managers have for English football.
Eddie Howe Manager Is One of the Best English Managers
Speculation that Eddie Howe may be a candidate for the job with England was not without merit. The credentials of Howe both at Bournemouth and currently at Newcastle United make him one of the best English football managers in the Premier League.
It was at Bournemouth where Howe gained wider acclaim, taking the Cherries on an improbably brilliant run from League Two to the Premier League inside six years. This was enough to establish him as one of the best English managers: tactically astute, blessed with an ability to develop players, and wedded to an attacking way of playing. Undeterred, even after Bournemouth’s relegation in 2020, by the time he was linked to the Magpies, there was nothing to dent Howe’s growing reputation; his ability to overachieve on limited resources was highly praised.
It was no different when he succeeded at Newcastle United last November. At the time, Newcastle was in dire straits-relegation largely put up a good fight, and there was no win in the Premier League. At the helm of affairs with Howe, Newcastle did not just avoid relegation but finished 11th in the Premier League. In the next season, Howe led Newcastle to a fourth-place finish and secured Champions League qualification for the first time in over two decades. Such feats undergird the general notion that so many pundits and fans alike believed Howe would be a strong candidate for the England job.
Former Newcastle manager Graeme Souness hailed Howe as: “He’s done an incredible job at Newcastle. To take them from relegation candidates to Champions League football in such a short time is nothing short of remarkable.” This consistency of success, together with experience in handling the pressure, firmly installed the feeling that Howe had credibility for the England manager role.
Eddie Howe Newcastle Contract and Future Focus
All those speculations that have linked him to the job in England haven’t distracted Howe from what he has at Newcastle United. In August 2022, Eddie Howe signed a new long-term deal at Newcastle, an undisputed reflection of the confidence that the club had in his leadership and vision. It is believed that he will be there for several more seasons, something that makes him sure to remain a big part of the Newcastle ambitious project.
The Newcastle hierarchy, spearheaded by the club’s Saudi-backed ownership group, have been very vocal about their long-term ambitions for the club. Howe transformed Newcastle from relegation battlers to a top-four side and has enjoyed the full backing of the board since his arrival. “Eddie is an incredibly talented leader, having a huge impact since he joined, and we’re excited to have secured his long-term future,” said former Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth.
In any case, for the time being, Eddie Howe is fully focused on his Newcastle job and does not allow rumors about the possible work with the national team to distract him. Howe was fully committed to the Newcastle United project, which was set to compete both on the domestic and European levels. As the new season is fully in effect and the team chases further successes, it’s no secret that Howe’s attention lies solely in attaining those ambitious goals set out by the club.
