Newcastle’s chief executive, Darren Eales, has warned the Football Association that the Saudi Arabian-owned club will fight to keep Eddie Howe and remain committed to a manager they “love”.
Howe is high on the FA’s shortlist to succeed Gareth Southgate as England manager and it is understood his Newcastle contract contains a £5m release clause but Eales believes the 46-year-old would miss the day-to-day challenge of club management.
“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 said. “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.”
Eales was asked whether Newcastle would fight to retain Howe and envisaged him being in post at the start of the season. “Absolutely yes,” he said. “Eddie’s been an amazing manager and we’re committed to him.”
In the past Howe has made no secret of his desire to coach England one day but Newcastle hope that, for the moment at least, the chance to win trophies on Tyneside and lead his team back into the Champions League will keep him at St James’ Park. Even so, Eales conceded he and Howe had “not had recent discussions” about the England job.
Howe’s silence on the issue during Newcastle’s pre-training camp in Germany has prompted fears that the former Bournemouth manager may struggle to turn down England. Eales is aware of that but stressed that prising Steve Bruce’s successor out of the club would prove expensive: “In those circumstances compensation will have to be paid.”
Howe worked very closely with Amanda Staveley, Newcastle’s former co-owner and director, and her recent departure has almost certainly offered the FA encouragement. Eales, though, stressed that the club were united in their desperation to keep him.
“Eddie has done a brilliant job for us,” he said. “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,” he said. “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.”
Nonetheless Eales acknowledged that he and the Saudis had a “succession plan” in the event of Howe leaving. “It’s one of those ones, you never want to use it,” he said.