Eddie Howe: Newcastle desperate to keep ‘incredible coach’, says chief executive Darren Eales amid England links

Newcastle’s chief executive has warned the Football Association they have a battle ahead of them if they want Eddie Howe to become the next England manager.

Howe has made no secret of his desire to become the national team coach in the past.

But he has a long-term contract at St James’ Park, signed last year.

“Eddie has done a brilliant job for us,” he said. “To go from 19th (Newcastle’s position when he took charge in November 2021) to 11th in the Premier League at the end of that season, and then kicking for a Champions League spot the following season is phenomenal.

“In terms of people management, on the pitch, Eddie is very hands-on. He’s a great developer of players. He understands the psyche of the club, Newcastle and the fans.

“For us, he is exactly the right man for the project we are developing at Newcastle United 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. We love him. We know in Eddie we have a great coach who can lead us to great things.”

Howe made his first steps into management at Bournemouth, where they won promotion from League Two, before leaving for Burnley in January 2011.

Less than two years later he was back at Dean Court and this time he took the Cherries to new heights, reaching the Premier League for the first time in their history in 2015.

After leaving the south coast club in August 2020, Howe spent some time away from management before taking charge of Newcastle in November 2021.

Since moving to St James’ Park, he has helped the Magpies qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in two decades.

So it’s no surprise he’s being linked with the England job, but Eales reiterated the Magpies’ stance.

When asked if Newcastle would fight to keep Howe, he replied: “Absolutely yes. Eddie has been an incredible manager and we are committed to him.”

The chief executive added: “I won’t go into the details of Eddie’s contract but he has a multi-year deal which was extended last summer.

“He’s our employee and we don’t want to let Eddie go.

“He is a top manager, he is the right manager for Newcastle United at the right time. This is the manager we want leading the club for the foreseeable future.

“We hope that with Eddie we have a coach for the long term.

“He has a long-term contract, he loves the day-to-day running of club football and we have an exciting project here in terms of the commitment of the owners and the journey we want to take.

“We are really excited about the upcoming season.”