Eddie Howe has issued a warning to Newcastle United, stating that if the club’s new structure does not support him, he may consider applying for the England position.
Howe is one of the leading contenders to take over as manager of the national team after Gareth Southgate announced his resignation two days after England’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Last week, Howe lost two supporters at Newcastle when co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi sold their shares in the team. Dan Ashworth, the sports director of Newcastle and a close friend of Howe, also completed his transfer to Manchester United at the beginning of the month.
While acknowledging that the turmoil at Newcastle has been “extremely difficult,” Howe insists that he is eager to stay in command of the team.
At Newcastle’s preseason training camp in Germany on Friday, Howe stated, “I absolutely want to stay but it has to be right for me and the football club.”
“If the dynamic isn’t right, there’s absolutely no point in me saying I’m happy staying at Newcastle.” Well, if I do that, I’m definitely not serving Newcastle well.
‘So, as long as I am happy, feel supported, feel free to work in the way that I want to work, I have not thought of anything else other than Newcastle. I absolutely love the club. I love the supporters. I love where I am at in my career. There is no better place for me to be.
‘There has been a lot of change at the football club this summer. It has been a very difficult summer for everyone connected with the club. With change comes always a new feeling.
‘You can point to PSR, Amanda and Mehrdad, a change in sporting director which, of course, influences me. These are all big changes. That is why I’ve made the points that I have, because this has to work for Newcastle.
‘It’s not about me as the manager. I’m slightly irrelevant. It’s about making sure Newcastle United is as strong as it can be for the next season and beyond. We’ve all got to come together and make sure we are the force that we want to be.
‘For me, it’s not about England. That is absolutely someone else’s conversation, not mine. Mine is Newcastle. To speak about something else while manager of Newcastle is wrong. I don’t think I have to say the answer again. The answer is clear.’
When asked if he expects to be in charge of Newcastle’s first game of the season against Southampton on August 17, Howe replied: ‘As long as I’m happy in the position that I’m in.
‘As long as I feel supported by the football club and free to work in the way that I want to work, yes. That is the crucial thing.
‘I’m not talking about England. England is not even on my focus, it’s all about Newcastle, it has been all summer. I think England is a very special job for someone. I am very patriotic and I’m not ashamed to say that. I love my country. I want my country to do well. I was gutted for Gareth and the lads that they did not win the Euros but I don’t have a burning sensation in me that I have to do it at some stage.
‘I have been really happy for two-and-a-half years. I have loved every second of the relationships that I’ve had and the way I’ve been able to work. I think that has brought success.
‘We’re in the flux of change, it’s just happened. I can’t say with a definitive answer where that will lead. I hope it leads to everything that I’ve just said. I’m not really seeking assurances. I don’t think I have the right to challenge those or the want to challenge those decisions. The club has to choose its direction and that is absolutely their right.
That’s not a problem for me, but I must certainly be content with my work. For this to succeed, I have to believe that it can help both the football team and me.