Gareth Southgate’s future as England manager is unclear right now, and Jack Wilshere wants Newcastle united boss Eddie Howe to get the job if he leaves.
The Three Lions’ World Cup dream ended on Saturday night. They were beaten 2-1 by France, with Harry Kane missing a late penalty that would have drawn England level.
It was an excruciating night for Southgate, whose side have been knocked out of the competition at the quarter final stage. They certainly played well against France, but lacked that killer instinct to get past the defending champions.
The result has led to speculation surrounding Southgate’s future. He has a contract until after Euro 2024, but it is rumoured that he could leave now following the World Cup exit in Qatar.
If that does happen, former Arsenal midfielder Wilshere has picked the man he wants to replace Southgate. And Newcastle fans aren’t going to like it.
What Jack Wilshere said about Eddie Howe become England manager
As part of his latest column for the Sun, Wilshere explained why he thinks Howe should be the man to replace Southgate as England manager.
“If Gareth Southgate does leave the England job, I’d love the FA to try and get Eddie Howe,” he wrote.
“I know how good Eddie is from my time at Bournemouth but people wondered whether he could make that step up to a bigger club. Well, now he has shown at Newcastle how skilled he is at developing players and he’s turning them into title challengers.
“The problem for the FA would be persuading him to swap his club for his country, and I’m not sure they’ll be able to do that. He might feel it’s too early for him and that he wants more time to build success in the North East. If he delivered silverware for Newcastle he’d be a god.
“But the England job is the pinnacle for any English coach and it might be hard to turn down if there is a proper offer on the table.”
No way Howe is leaving Newcastle
It is difficult to express how much of a disaster it would be if Howe left St James’ Park right now to become England manager. The 45-year-old has transformed the Magpies in just over a year, and has taken them from relegation fodder to European contenders.
He is the top English manager around right now, so it is no surprise that neutrals think he should be the man to replace Southgate if the former Boro boss leaves his job with the FA.
But it would come as a huge surprise if Howe decided to walk away from Newcastle so early into his tenure. He wasn’t brought in as a firefighter – he was appointed as someone who can build the club and take it towards a brighter future.
That journey has only just begun. It would be a massive shock if he were to call it a day in favour of the England job.
Howe has previously been linked with the Three Lions before, so much so that Newcastle have taken steps to keep him. He has no release clause, while he signed a new long-term deal during the summer.
The ex-Bournemouth boss is the main man at St James’ Park, and has complete authority within the club. That is something he has earned, and a reason why he would be mad to walk away.
International management is very different to club management. There are no guarantees that he would be a success. And if it went badly, his reputation would drop having only just built himself back up.
Wilshere might want Howe to be the England manager, but Newcastle fans would rather it was anyone else. Hopefully Howe feels the same if an offer does come his way.
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