Eddie Howe's 'stance' on England job amid Thomas Tuchel 'talks' and £6m Newcastle United reveal

Eddie Howe remains on the Football Association’s shortlist of England manager candidates but reports suggest he has no intention of leaving Newcastle United.

England have been without a permanent head coach since July when Gareth Southgate called time on an eight-year spell in charge of the national team, having guided them to a second consecutive European Championship final before losing both. Under-21s boss Lee Carsley has been placed in interim charge for the 2024 international breaks but longer-term options are being weighed up.

Among them is Howe, who is widely regarded as one of the country’s top managers after guiding Newcastle to consecutive top-seven finishes and Champions League qualification in 2023. But the 46-year-old has regularly knocked back questions over his future and The Telegraph now report he is ‘extremely happy’ at St James’ Park.

The FA are thought to have made ‘informal’ enquiries regarding Howe’s stance earlier this year and are aware he intends to remain in post at Newcastle, with other options being explored. And even if he became open to the move, it is thought a release clause of more than £6million would provide an obvious barrier, given it is more than Southgate’s reported £5m salary.

There was some well-documented tension inside the club throughout the summer, with Howe losing key supporter Amanda Staveley and often conflicting with incoming sporting director Paul Mitchell. But the pair have smoothed things over since and both want what is best for the club, with no such issues anymore.

Carsley was being tipped to take the England job permanently after an impressive September international break, but a risky decision to play with no striker backfired during Thursday’s 2-1 defeat against Greece. The interim boss then hinted at his plan to return to youth level.

"I was quite surprised after the last camp in terms of ‘the job is mine’ and ‘it’s mine to lose’ and all the rest of it.” Carsley admitted. “My remit has been clear from the start - I’m doing three camps. There are three games left and then hopefully I’ll be going back to the Under-21. It has almost no impact.”

With Howe looking out of reach, the FA look to have progressed elsewhere and reports in Germany claim talks have progressed with Thomas Tuchel. German outlet BILD report the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss is in negotiations to take over, although it is unclear how far along those discussions are.

Carsley will remain in post for Sunday’s Nations League clash against Finland and the November fixtures. It remains to be seen what will happen after then, with no international football between then and March.