Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has claimed that Liverpool should be targeting Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe after Jurgen Klopp announced he will be leaving this summer.
Howe has come under increasing pressure this season after an early Champions League exit and a bad run of form in December/January, and yet his name is still being brought up in these conversations.
Hendrie was speaking on Sky Sports when he suggested Liverpool should be considering Howe and Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi when discussing who will be taking over from Klopp.
Howe suits Liverpool’s style of play
In Howe’s first full season as Newcastle manager, the team earned a lot of plaudits for their high intensity and high pressing style of play which proved so successful at Liverpool under Klopp.
The obvious issue is that it takes a huge toll on the players bodies as we’ve seen with the increased list of injuries in both Newcastle and Liverpool’s squads, though Klopp has often managed to navigate his way through it.
Nobody is claiming that Howe is anywhere near as good as Klopp or would achieve anything similar to what he has done, but their styles of play definitely have their similarities.
It’s very unlikely to happen given the state of the two clubs at the minute, but Hendrie truly believes that Howe could be a success at Anfield and that he should be involved in these conversations.
On Sky, Hendrie said: “I would like to chuck someone in there who isn’t even on the list.
“Things aren’t great at Newcastle. I think maybe someone like Eddie Howe. Someone who knows the Premier League.
“He has gone to a football club that has been a tough one to really deal with. I think people have doubted him.
“I am not saying he is leaving Newcastle but you look at managers that aren’t in the frame.
“I think De Zerbi and Eddie Howe. I
think I would be looking at Eddie Howe because I like the way he plays.”
Howe is committed to Newcastle
Not only would it be a total shock to hear that Liverpool were interested in making Howe their manager, it would also be a surprise to hear that Howe would want to leave Newcastle after all the work he’s done.
It’s been a very positive two years for Howe who has taken the Magpies from certain relegation to the Champions League, but there’s still so much he wants to achieve at the club and he’s really only getting started.
The board have also placed complete faith in the 46-year-old who has shown signs of being a top manager, he now just needs a big summer to add star quality to the squad to really push on.
Everyone feels very connected to the club at the minute, a rarity in the last two decades, and it would make little sense to leave all of that for what would be a huge risk by joining Liverpool.
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