What Newcastle will do if Eddie Howe does ask to leave for the England job

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Newcastle United reportedly have a plan in place in the event that Eddie Howe asks to leave the Magpies to take over at England.

Gareth Southgate has officially called time as manager of the Three Lions, with the 53-year-old coach leading England to two successive Euros finals as well as the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The second most successful manager of the England men’s national team, attention has quickly shifted to who will replace Southgate, with Newcastle boss Howe an early front-runner given his Premier League experience and reputation amongst the FA.

And the Toon already have something in place of Howe were to ask to leave Newcastle for England.

Newcastle won’t stand in Howe’s way if he wants the England job

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Newcastle will not block Howe from leaving his position at the club if he wants to take the England job, with the former AFC Bournemouth manager one of four top candidates for the role.

Jacobs wrote: “Eddie Howe, Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Lee Carsley are all in the mix to replace Gareth Southgate as England manager. Understand Newcastle want to keep Howe, but would respect his wishes if he asked to leave for the role. Long way from that point yet. Thomas Tuchel would welcome an approach, but is not a frontrunner and that is unlikely to change.”

Indeed, the England job, for the first time in some years, will be an appealing prospect for many top managers looking to dip their toes in the international game, with the Three Lions just falling short to Spain at Euro 2024.

And for Howe, the prospect of taking the England job could be too tempting to turn down, with the Newcastle manager a popular choice to take on the role as supporters now start to look at head to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Howe could well become the next Three Lions manager this summer

With England having international fixtures in September, the FA will be keen to make an appointment sooner rather than later, and Howe could be the man for the job to take over from Southgate.

The Newcastle manager has been a popular choice to take on the Three Lions job for some years, with Howe’s style of football compared to Southgate’s something that will excite England fans if an appointment was made.

And given the size and reputation of the job, Howe could be confident in his abilities to take on the role, especially after a season where he managed Newcastle in the UEFA Champions League.