Newcastle United CEO speaks out about Eddie Howe’s future | OneFootball

Darren Eales has been speaking about Eddie Howe.

The Newcastle United CEO talking about the club’s Head Coach at length.

This comes to a backdrop of many in the media speculating as to whether Eddie Howe could replace Gareth Southgate.

Some interesting comments from Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales answering the key questions.

Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales asked if the club would fight off any approach from the FA for Eddie Howe, to try to take the NUFC Head Coach for the England job:

“Yes, absolutely.

“I don’t want to speak on hypotheticals.

“So let me just step back and going into a new season, for us as a club, Eddie Howe has done a brilliant job.

“I wasn’t here at the start but when you look at it from the outside in terms of where the club was, and to take a club that was in the position, 19th [in November 2021] to 11th at the end of that [2021/22] season, then to kick on into a Champions League spot the following season… it is phenomenal.

“I have had the blessing to be able to work with Eddie and see how day to day and in terms of that man-management, he is very hands-on.

“He is a great developer of players.

“He gets the psyche of the club and Newcastle United and the fans.

“We have seen that with the way the team and the supporters have that affinity.

“For us, he is exactly the right man for the project we are on at Newcastle United, that is why we are committed to a long-term deal with him.

“That’s why we think he’s the right man for Newcastle.

“We love him.”

Darren Eales asked if he was confident that Eddie Howe would still be Newcastle United when the new season kicks off next month:

“Absolutely, yes.

“All I can say is I have spent the last three months with Eddie, [with] Dan Ashworth leaving, we have been very hands-on in terms of how we are planning for Newcastle United for the season ahead.

“Eddie Howe is someone who demands work rate, we have our meetings at 7am because that is the best time to get Eddie in terms of starting his working day.

“That is what I love about him.

“I’m not going to name names but there have been managers who I worked with, who couldn’t wait to get away from the training ground, Eddie Howe is the absolute opposite.

“Part of the importance of [Newcastle United Sporting director] Paul Mitchell coming in with Eddie, is to then let Eddie do the strengths he has got. Take away from him some of the things that if it was up to Eddie, he would spend all his time and every waking hour on.

“What we have to do is channel Eddie onto what he does best and that is on the grass.

“With that he is phenomenal in terms of putting that team together.

“From the performance perspective, it’s about what can we do to help Eddie.

“It is all about the recruitment perspective, or an academy player and who we are bringing through.

“How can we help Eddie to have the tools to put the best possible team out there?

“We know in Eddie we have a great coach who can lead us on to great things.”

Eddie Howe signed his original Newcastle United deal in November 2021, then a new NUFC contract in summer of 2022, Darren Eales now revealing the Head Coach has signed another ‘multi-year’ deal since then AND that does not contain a release clause with a set compensation fee:

“I don’t want to talk on specifics but it is a multi-year deal [that Eddie Howe is now on].

“We want him to be our manager long-term and that is why we gave him a new long-term contract last year.

“In those circumstances, like any employee from us, there will have to be compensation paid [if for whatever reason he did move elsewhere].

“However, again, it is hypothetical.

“But he does have a multi-year deal, there’s not a set number [of compensation].

“He is our employee and so from that perspective we are not looking to release Eddie for all the reasons I have spoken about.