- Gareth Southgate’s near-eight-year reign as England manager has ended
- Eddie Howe is expected to be among the frontrunners to succeed Southgate
- Mail Sport reported Howe would have ‘a decision to make’ if he is approached
Newcastle United chiefs have vowed that they will fight to keep Eddie Howe, if England want him as their next manager.
The Magpies boss is among the frontrunners to replace Gareth Southgate and, as Mail Sport reported on Monday, a formal approach from the Football Association would leave him with ‘a decision to make’, despite him being settled and very happy on Tyneside.
Chief executive Darren Eales has revealed that Howe signed a new contract last summer – we understand it was an ‘amendment’ to his existing, long-term deal – and that compensation would have to be paid, although there was no ‘set figure’. He says he has not spoken to the 46-year-old about England and expects him to be in charge at the start of the season.
Asked if the club would ‘fight to keep’ Howe in the event of an approach, Eales said: ‘Yes, absolutely. To take a club that was in 19th to 11th at the end of the first season and then into a Champions League spot the following season, it is phenomenal.
‘I’ve had the blessing to work with Eddie and see day to day 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 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. This is the coach we want to lead the club for the future. He’s committed to the club in the work that he’s done and what he’s shown, and we’re obviously committed to him. We love him.’
Were the club covered in terms of compensation in the new contract?
’It’s a multi-year deal and in those circumstances, like any employee from us, there will have to be compensation paid,’ he said. ‘We’re not looking to release Eddie for all the reasons I’ve spoken about.
‘Everything we’re doing – Paul (Mitchell) coming in (sporting director), James (Bunce), the performance director – in terms of how we talk about strengthening the squad, dealing with PSR, making sure with a lot of dialogue from Eddie we’re retaining that core squad that we need to go forwards and kick on – that’s what we’re looking to do and we’re hoping with Eddie we’ve got a coach for the long-term who can lead us onto great things.’
Eales says there is a ‘succession plan’, like at all top clubs, but that it has not been given any recent consideration.
‘It’s one of those, you never want to use it,’ he said. ‘(It is) something that when you’re organised you’ve got to be thinking about, but for us at the moment, we’re focused on pre-season and a big season ahead.
‘How do we take that negative of being really unlucky and finishing seventh and not making Europe, and turning it into a positive? We have a chance this season to really attack competitions because we don’t have that distraction.’