England: Shearer ‘reliably told’ Howe ‘big surprise’ as the FA ‘spoke to’ shock Tuchel alternative
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has revealed that he has “reliably been told” a “big surprise” concerning Eddie Howe and the England job.
Howe has been mooted as a potential candidate to replace Gareth Southgate after the former England manager quit following his side’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
The Newcastle United boss was under pressure last season, but his side ended the campaign strongly to finish seventh in the Premier League.
In recent months, it’s been widely reported that Howe has butted heads with new sporting director Paul Mitchell and it’s been suggested that this could lead to him leaving the Premier League club.
Despite this, the FA looked elsewhere and reached an ‘agreement’ with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel on Tuesday evening. He is set to be unveiled on Wednesday afternoon and he will officially start his new role at the start of 2025.
Earlier this week, a report claimed Howe, Graham Potter and Pep Guardiola had ‘received informal approaches’ by the FA regarding the England job.
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Despite this, Shearer has been “reliably told” that the FA “didn’t speak to Howe”, while two other managers were contacted.
“It’s happened so quickly, hasn’t it? I mean we said and you said the other day, there’s perhaps a reason why Lee Carsley was ruling himself out because practically that’s what he did,” Shearer said on The Rest is Football podcast.
“Maybe you were right in saying that he knew something that we didn’t know.
“I really hope that they have spoken to English managers. I’m told they didn’t speak to Eddie Howe or they didn’t sound him out at all. I’m reliably told, which is a big surprise for me considering he would be the outstanding English candidate.”
Gary Lineker added: “It’s confirmed apparently that they did reach out in the summer to Pep Guardiola. And also I understand that they spoke to Carlo Ancelotti.”
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Shearer also reckons the FA moved quickly to appoint Tuchel as there was a “chance he could get the Man Utd job pretty soon”.
“If they sounded out Pep, fine, he’s the best manager in the world,” Shearer said.
“You then have to look at what’s available to you. They’ve looked at Thomas Tuchel and have thought there is a chance he could get the Manchester United job pretty soon.
“So opportunity lies now. If they didn’t act quick now they weren’t going to get one of the outstanding candidates for the job.”
He added: “There’s no doubt he’s got an incredible CV, what he’s won and managing at the highest level, working with superstars. But this is going to be a very, very different test for him. It’s a bold move from the FA, there’s no doubt about it.
“We need a trophy, it’s as simple as that. And we need a manager that can deliver that.”
