Why Eddie Howe is the perfect man for England – A real national asset | OneFootball

Eddie Howe will become England manager for sure.

In about twenty years time!

Eddie Howe has more important things to worry about in the next decade or two.

It was quite hilarious when the media were falling over themselves to try and claim that Eddie Howe hadn’t been considered as a candidate for the England job.

It was Eddie Howe who hadn’t considered the England job!

The FA would have been in dreamland if they could have persuaded the Newcastle United boss to take the job.

The media summing up their desperate modern day state, when wanting to kid everybody, especially themselves, that The FA hadn’t thought Eddie Howe up to the job.

Reality is that the NUFC boss was the ONLY suitable candidate, the only English one anyway.

Eddie Howe stood head and shoulders above the rest and The FA clearly desperate to appoint an Englishman for the job.

In they end they had no other choice than to compromise, to appoint a very good manager. One whoever who isn’t English, plus, only on a short-term basis up to and including the 2026 World Cup finals next summer.

I like Thomas Tuchel, as a manager and how he comes over as a person. However, beyond doubt, The FA’s first and only choice would have been to have Eddie Howe as a long-term appointment to oversee England for any number of upcoming tournaments.

From the very moment Gareth Southgate stepped down though, Eddie Howe made very publicly clear in a number of interviews/press conferences that Newcastle United was the only job he was interested in for the foreseeable.

Eddie Howe making clear in private as well to The FA, then when the official recruitment process eventually happened and ten candidates interviewed, the English media declaring that the Newcastle United boss had been overlooked for the England job. This totally ignored the fact that all along he had said he wasn’t interested, then he didn’t apply for the job when advertised. The FA couldn’t interview somebody who had no interest and who hadn’t even applied for the job!

England’s not so secret weapon

The thing is, Eddie Howe is also the perfect man for England, from the outside.

He is a national asset.

I would say that Eddie Howe is arguably more of an asset for England working on the outside, than on the inside.

Which other Premier League manager is so England focussed?

Which other Premier League manager gives so many English players so many chances?

Which other Premier League manager has developed so many England players in recent times?

‘England international Kieran Trippier floats yet another perfect corner, (Future) England international Dan Burn meets it with a superb header into the bottom corner, 1-0. England internationals Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento combine down the left, before the latter delivers a great cross which is met by English winger Jacob Murphy at the back post, his perfect headed assist picks out a striker from Sweden who does the rest, 2-0 and game effectively over.’

I don’t want to come over all nationalistic but you can’t get away from the fact that England was the biggest factor in this Newcastle United team and squad that won at Wembley.

Eddie Howe had six English players in his starting eleven.

Eddie Howe had twelve English players in his 20 man matchday squad at Wembley.

This doesn’t even take into account two England internationals who would have started the game for sure, if available, Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon. Who would have almost certainly, if available, meant the dropping down to the bench of another two England internationals, Harvey Barnes and either Kieran Trippier or Tino Livramento.

Imagine if this was say Liverpool or Arsenal with such an English domination of their team and squad? We would never hear the last of it in the media.

At Wembley, Newcastle United had a back five containing four England internationals, if you include Dan Burn (who would be capped only days later) as well as Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Lewis Hall. Then England international Harvey Barnes on one wing and the (yet to be capped!) Englishman Jacob Murphy on the other wing. Then when it came to seeing the win out, it was England international Callum Wilson and Englishman Joe Willock that Eddie Howe put his faith in (then Sweden’s Emil Krafth in the very final stages).

With far more limited ability to spend than the usual suspects, Eddie Howe has concentrated on building a team and squad with a majority of English players, many of them also lifelong Newcastle United fans, with then an added sprinkling of real overseas quality. Eddie Howe working wonders to develop so many of these players, young and old, inherited and bought in, as well as making it a far stronger team than the individuals it contains.

Eddie Howe and the England internationals

Eddie Howe has bought in three England internationals – Kieran Trippier, Nick Pope and Harvey Barnes.

Eddie Howe has bought in four English players and turned them into England internationals – Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento, Dan Burn and Lewis Hall.

Eddie Howe helped Callum Wilson get a second wind late in his career that got him back in the national squad and playing for England in the 2o22 World Cup finals.

Other English players have also flourished under Eddie Howe as he gets the maximum out of them, the likes of Jacob Murphy, Sean Longstaff, Joe Willock, Jamaal Lascelles and Matt Targett.

Lewis Miley playing for the England Under 21s at the age of 18.

Whilst any number of other younger English players, both local and brought in from elsewhere, playing in the younger England age groups.

Apologies if I miss anybody out but the likes of Sean Neave, Leo Shahar, Trevan Sanusi, Sam Alabi, Michael Mills and George Mair, all showing immense promise for Newcastle United AND England.

Just going back to that 2025 Carabao Cup Final where six English players started for Newcastle United and twelve in the 20 man matchday squad. In comparison, Liverpool had only one English player in their team and that was Jarell Quansah, who hardly ever gets a game for them usually (only two Premier League starts this season) and only played due to injuries to the first and second choice right-backs. In total, Liverpool with only four English players in their 20 man squad at Wembley.