Eddie Howe has said he has an “unwavering” commitment to Newcastle as long as he has the club's backing, and he continues to be linked with the England men's national team job.
This week it emerged that Howe was on the FA's shortlist to replace Gareth Southgate, who resigned following Manchester United's defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Tell to ~ Sky Sports News Howe, who is based at Newcastle's adidas training base in Germany, responded to speculation about a possible England cap by saying he is currently focused solely on his job.
But there was change in the summer after Newcastle's sporting director Dan Ashworth left for Manchester United and board members Amanda Staveley and Merdad Godusi also left the club, and Howe said the club's new structure “must suit everyone”.
“It was a strange thing for me, I was completely disconnected,” he said. “Fortunately, I'm here (in Germany), so I only hear about it if I get a call from my phone or if someone tells me something.
“My commitment to Newcastle is unwavering and has been since I came to the football club. As long as I have certain things in place – being happy, being able to work the way I need to work to get the most out of myself and feeling supported – that will never change.”
Howe (right) is closely linked with the England national team.
Howe said he hoped the new structure, which includes bringing in Paul Mitchell as sporting director, would be effective but added boundaries needed to be set.
The Newcastle manager has also been affected by the departure of close colleague Staveley, who sold his stake in the club last week.
“There's so much change that we all need time to figure out how to work and set boundaries.” Asked if he felt supported by Newcastle, he said: “It's for the good of Newcastle, not for my own benefit, because the club comes first in all of this.
“England is not important at all. It's all about Newcastle United Football Club. I'm very proud to be a manager. I've loved every moment of managing the club since I've been here and I'm passionate about delivering long-term success.
“I feel like I have a really special relationship with the (Newcastle fans). I can't thank them enough for the way they have welcomed me to the club and the way they have supported the club and me through good times and bad. I am fiercely determined to win trophies for them and hopefully we can achieve our goals together.”
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Why Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie explains the England job is too early for Newcastle boss Howe
Asked if he was happy to be linked with the England job, Howe said: “I'm a patriot, I love my country. I want England to win and be successful. And my feeling this summer was that I wanted Gareth to win the Euros.
“We had two players (Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon) involved in that and speaking to them regularly, my thoughts were with them and Gareth and I hoped they would do that. I don't think it was wrong and I don't think it's wrong to feel that way.
“Whenever I'm linked with another job, and I've done that before in my career, it's always positive because it means you're doing well at the club you're working for, but my only priority and thought has always been Newcastle United.
“Nothing can shake me from my job. That's the way I work. I'm very tunnel-visioned. I've been all summer and I'll be all summer.”
FA publishes England job vacancy advert
Gareth Southgate resigns as England manager after Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain
The FA has officially advertised a vacancy for the England men's national football team manager on its website as the search for a successor to Gareth Southgate continues.
England's governing body said it had “already shortlisted several candidates” after Southgate announced his resignation on July 16.
The first point of the job description states the need to “win a major tournament”. England men’s team have not won a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
It also states that the selected candidate will have “significant experience of English football, either achieving success in the Premier League or having a strong track record of leading at international level”.
Other job requirements include “experience successfully identifying, managing and developing English-speaking players” and “the ability to be highly resilient and comfortable in a critical role under intense public scrutiny.”
The FA has set a deadline. August 2nd For the application. England's next match is against the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League on September 7.
Click this link to read the full job description for the England Men's Manager role.
Who else could take over as England manager?
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham told reporters ahead of Euro 2024 that the organisation had a comprehensive succession plan in place should a manager of either the men’s or women’s team leave or need to be replaced. But he did not say who was being considered.
The FA are said to prefer a British manager, but former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino It's also on the list of candidates.
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Former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter has dismissed reports linking him with the England job but admitted he would like to return to management.
Another name in the mix is current England U21 manager Lee Carsley, with the FA keen to include the St George's Park Howe manager in their recruitment process. and Graham Potter He has his admirers even among FA senior staff.
Another name on the list is Lee Carsley, currently the England U21 manager, with the FA keen to include a manager who has made his mark at St George's Park in their recruitment process.
England's upcoming fixtures (all Nations League)
- September 7: vs Republic of Ireland (a)
- September 10th: vs Finland (Home)
- October 10th: vs Greece (Home)
- October 13th: vs Finland (a)
- November 14th: vs Greece (a)
- November 17th: vs Republic of Ireland (Home)
Neville: The next manager has to be British
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Sky Sports' Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher explain why the FA must appoint a British successor to Gareth Southgate.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville:
“(The next manager) will have to lift the trophy to surpass what Gareth has achieved.
“Over the years we've had all types of managers – trend-setting managers, international managers, top English managers, managers who started their careers in the youth teams.
“There's no science to what works, and there are obvious contenders. Graham Potter and Eddie Howe will be mentioned, and I think it's definitely an English manager.
“The move to St George's Park was about promoting and developing English coaches. To take that away from English managers and give it to international managers is wrong.
“You can't ignore great managers like Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, but if we don't develop our own managers…
“British coaching has a long way to go to catch up with the other great nations and we need to work hard to get them into the biggest environments and toughest matches.
“Give them a chance.”
