Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales says the club will fight to keep hold of Eddie Howe if England want to appoint him as the country’s new manager.
Eales was also firm in his belief that Howe will still be in charge of the Magpies when the new season begins in August.
This is despite Howe quickly becoming one of the favourites to be the next Three Lions boss after Gareth Southgate confirmed he is stepping down as manager following defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Howe, former Chelsea boss Graham Potter and current England Under-21s manager Lee Carsley are the leading contenders, with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel seen as longer shots.
While the likes of Potter and Carsley would be relatively straight forward appointments for the Football Association, Howe would be trickier, with Newcastle very keen to keep hold of their man.
Asked if the club would fight to keep Howe, Eales said: ‘Yes, absolutely.
‘I don’t want to speak on hypotheticals, so let me just step back and go, going into a new season, for us as a club Eddie has done a brilliant job.
‘I wasn’t here at the start, but when you look at it from the outside in terms of where the club was and to take a club that was in the position, 19th to 11th at the end of that season and then to kick on into a Champions League spot the following season is phenomenal.
‘I’ve had the blessing to be able to work with Eddie and see how day to day and in terms of 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 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.’
Pushed on whether he thinks Howe will be Newcastle manager next season, Eales said: ‘Absolutely, yes.’
‘Gareth has done an incredible job and I mean that from the bottom of my heart,’ Howe told reporters after the last World Cup campaign.
‘I have been lucky enough to go in and see him work and I have a lot of time for him and Steve Holland. They have been amazing for England.
‘You have to remember where England were before he took over and what he has done for the country.
‘I never say never, never say no, it won’t be something I am interested in. But in the short term it is not on my radar at all.
‘It is all Newcastle and trying to make this team better. I have always said I love the day to day coaching, love being with the players on the training ground, international football you get that taken away for long periods.
‘At this moment in my life that is not something I want to do.’
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