England’s search for a new manager is underway and as TEAMtalk revealed on Tuesday, Eddie Howe is the Football Association’s preferred replacement for Gareth Southgate.
We understand that the Newcastle boss’ dream is to take charge of the Three Lions and he would be open to leaving St James’ Park to take up the role.
A potential complication of appointing Howe, however, is whether the FA can afford him. Southgate earned an annual £5m with England, which would be on the lower end of Premier League manager salaries.
The FA would also have to pay Newcastle a buyout fee of around £5m to release Howe from his contract, whereas there would be no compensation to be paid for other targets such as Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel.
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Some pundits have also voiced their concerns that Howe’s appointment would be too ‘safe’ from the FA, and that he isn’t the man to bring football home.
Richard Keys has urged the FA to look elsewhere for a new boss. “Eddie Howe would get a mention as well,” Keys wrote in his blog.
“He’s a very typical FA man, right out of the Safegate mold, but we need something else now.”
Frank Lampard an ‘interesting’ option for England
Keys then lists some alternatives to Howe and surprisingly, thinks Frank Lampard would be a better fit for the England job than Howe, describing him as an “interesting outsider.”
Perhaps Keys is forgetting that Lampard has so far failed to gain his spurs as a manager.
He got Derby County into the 2018-19 Championship play-off final, which they lost. He was sacked at his beloved Chelsea after failing to bring success to Stamford Bridge, and lost his job at Everton after the Toffees came extremely close to being relegated under his watch. His interim stint with Chelsea at the end of 2022/23 was less than inspiring, too.
Lampard would certainly be a left-field choice for England and probably not the candidate to get fans excited ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Keys also highlights England under-21s boss Lee Carsley as Southgate’s potential successor, labelling him a “very impressive coach.”
The former Everton midfielder led the young Three Lions to victory in the under-21s European Championships last year and has plenty of admirers behind the scenes at Euro 2024.
Sources have informed TEAMtalk that Carsley “cannot be ruled out” as the potential next England boss, but Howe remains the FA’s top choice for now.
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But Keys firmly believes that despite Lampard being an ‘interesting’ candidate, Liverpool icon Jurgen Klopp is the man England should appoint.
“We need someone to put fire in the bellies of the lads,” Keys added.
“Everybody in the squad right is too ‘nice’. They reflect the manager. Like Klopp – Mourinho would do that but he’s got a job. Klopp hasn’t. Give him one. Before someone else does.”