Newcastle United vow to fight FA if they attempt to poach Howe

Newcastle United will fight any attempt from the Football Association to poach Eddie Howe if they identify the 46-year-old as the man they want to replace Gareth Southgate.

Howe is believed to be on the FA’s shortlist to succeed Southgate, who resigned as England manager this morning after eight years in charge, along with Graham Potter, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino.

And while Howe has yet to speak on the matter during Newcastle’s pre-season trip to Germany, the club’s chief executive Darren Eales has outlined their determination to retain the former Bournemouth boss.

Eales told The Guardian: “I’m not going to talk about the specifics of Eddie’s contract but he’s on a multi-year deal which was extended last summer. 

“He’s our employee and we’re not looking to release Eddie.

“He’s a top coach, he’s the right coach for Newcastle United at the right moment. This is the coach we want to lead the club for the [foreseeable] future. We’re hoping that, with Eddie, we’ve got a coach for the long term.

“He’s under a long-term contract, he loves the day-to-day of club football and we have an exciting project here in terms of the commitment from the ownership and the journey we want to go on. We are really excited about the season ahead.”

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“He gets the club”

Howe’s contract reportedly contains a £5million release clause and, asked if he thought he’d still be in charge of Newcastle when the season gets underway next month, Eales added: “Absolutely yes.

“Eddie has done a brilliant job for us. To go from 19th [when he took over in November 2021] to 11th in the Premier League at the end of that season and then to kick on into a Champions League spot the following season is phenomenal. 

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

“For us, he is exactly the right man for the project we are on at Newcastle United and that is why we’re 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 on to great things.”