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Eddie Howe has insisted his “unwavering” commitment to Newcastle United will remain intact as long as he gets the support he needs to carry on his mission.
The 46-year-old was immediately installed as one of the bookmakers’ favourites to replace England boss Gareth Southgate, who announced his resignation earlier this week in the wake of Sunday night’s 2-1 Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain.
However, Howe, who has been in charge at St James’ Park since November 2021, is adamant his current job remains the priority, provided he is allowed to continue to work in the way he believes best benefits the club after a summer of change on Tyneside.
Asked about the England situation at the Magpies’ training camp in Germany, the former Bournemouth boss told Sky Sports News: “It’s been a strange one for me because I’ve been absolutely cut off from it.
“Fortunately I’m out here, so it’s only through a mobile phone or someone telling me something that you hear about it.
“My commitment to Newcastle is unwavering and it has been since I came to the football club. As long as I have certain things for me – as in I’m happy, I’m allowed to work in the way I need to work in order to get the best out of me and I feel supported – then that will never change.”
Howe’s proviso is perhaps understandable – close allies Amanda Staveley, who brokered the deal which led to her Saudi-backed consortium buying out previous owner Mike Ashley, and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi have left the club and a new football board is now in place, with Paul Mitchell having replaced Dan Ashworth as sporting director and James Bunce arrived as performance director.
He will hope the dynamics which allowed him to drag Newcastle out of relegation trouble and lead them back into the Champions League in his first full campaign will not change dramatically, despite last season’s slightly disappointing seventh-place finish.
Howe said: “There’s been so much change that we need a period of time to know how we’re all going to work and set the boundaries. It’s for the benefit of Newcastle, not for the benefit of me because the club’s the most important thing in all of this.
“England is not important at all. It’s all about Newcastle United Football Club. I’m so proud to be the manager. I’ve loved every single second of managing the club since I’ve been here, I feel passionately about bringing success here long term.”
Howe’s comments came as the Football Association published a job profile detailing the qualities required in the next England manager and revealed it had “already identified a number of candidates” to succeed Southgate, with former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter another featuring prominently in the betting stakes.
However, the FA insists the process is open to anyone who meets the set of criteria it released on Friday. The governing body has set August 2 as the closing date for applications.
The text of the role profile states: “Our succession planning process has already identified a number of candidates; in addition to this we are committed to open recruitment processes in the football industry.”
The FA said the role required someone to “lead and develop the England senior men’s team to win a major tournament and be consistently ranked as one of the top teams in the world”.
The right person would also provide “inspiring leadership” to the FA’s technical team and develop and maintain strong relationships with clubs who employ English-qualified players.
The successful candidate would need to hold a Uefa Pro Licence, possess “significant experience” of English football and have “a strong track record delivering results in the Premier League and/or leading international competitions”.
They will be an “exceptional leader”, the profile said, “highly resilient” and “comfortable in a very high-profile role with intense public scrutiny”.
The successful candidate will have a track record of creating a “high-performing, positive team culture” and “strong personal values and integrity”, along with an understanding and willingness to embrace the role the England team have in inspiring the nation.
The profile concludes by stating the FA promotes equality, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from everyone who meets the criteria.
