Premier League boss has ‘no desire’ for England job while Carsley reveals: ‘I’ll be going back’
Lee Carsley’s hopes of becoming the next England manager may have suffered a huge dent after Thursday’s defeat to Greece.
The FA have been looking for a successor to Gareth Southgate who announced his departure from the England managerial role after leading the national team to two successive Euro’s finals.
Carsley strangely ruled himself out of the running post-match when he said: “Hopefully I’ll be going back to the Under 21’s.”
Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Eddie Howe have all been linked with the role, though according to the Telegraph, Howe has no desire to leave Newcastle and remains extremely happy at St James’ Park.
Howe’s name also features on the FA’s shortlist, with the Football Association aware of his stance after making informal enquiries with his representatives earlier in the year.
There has been much talk surrounding Howe’s current role at Newcastle after the departures of former co-owner Amanda Staveley and former director of football Dan Ashworth.
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Ashworth, who left for Manchester United, was replaced by Paul Mitchell, though he and Howe have experienced a turbulent relationship thus far. There was tension within the camp during the summer transfer window, with both their visions seemingly unaligned.
The Magpies spent just shy of £35m during the summer as they aimed to stay within financial fair play regulations.
Howe has a £6m release clause, while his wage demands would also be higher than the £5m a year that Southgate earned while leading the side.
Speaking in September, Mitchell seemed to keep the idea of Howe leaving for the national afloat.
He said: “I’ve never been scared of interest in any of our staff members. Especially our head coach, and especially from a level of organisation that the FA is.
“We want Eddie Howe as our head coach for as long as we can. But we recognise that we are on a journey, and we recognise his quality and his potential as well. I think [their interest] it’s recognition of the two-and-a-half years he’s had here, and the job he did at Bournemouth.”
Howe took over from Steve Bruce in November 2021 after the Saudi PIF purchased a stake in the club. Since then, he has led Newcastle to Premier League survival, followed by fourth and seventh placed finishes, bringing Champions League football back to Tyneside for the first time since 2003, as well as a Carabao Cup final last year.
The 46-year-old certainly fits the bill for the England role, playing an exciting brand of football and has enjoyed a particularly good relationship with both Bournemouth and Newcastle fans.
A trait that made Southgate so likeable among the England supporters was his warmth towards them, and Howe would have no problems to fill that void.
