‘Hard to turn down’ - Eddie Howe tipped for England job as ex-Arsenal man makes Arsene Wenger comparisons

Gareth Southgate’s future as England manager remains unknown, but former Arsenal man Jack Wilshere believes the FA should turn to Eddie Howe as his replacement.
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The Three Lions’ defeat to France at the weekend signalled the end of their World Cup hopes and post-match, Southgate admitted he was ‘conflicted’ regarding his future as national team manager. Since then, speculation over his potential replacement has grown with Eddie Howe among a host of managers to be linked with the role.

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Chief among his supporters for the job is Jack Wilshere who told the Sun that Howe’s work at Newcastle this season means he should be in the conversation to replace Southgate. “If Gareth Southgate does leave the England job, I’d love the FA to try and get Eddie Howe.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Eddie Howe the manager of Newcastle United celebrates in front of the Newcastle supporters after the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Newcastle United at Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Southampton, England. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Eddie Howe the manager of Newcastle United celebrates in front of the Newcastle supporters after the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Newcastle United at Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Southampton, England. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Eddie Howe the manager of Newcastle United celebrates in front of the Newcastle supporters after the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Newcastle United at Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Southampton, England. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
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“I know how good Eddie is from my time at Bournemouth but people wondered whether he could make that step up to a bigger club.

“Well, now he has shown at Newcastle how skilled he is at developing players and he’s turning them into title challengers.”

“The problem for the FA would be persuading him to swap his club for his country — and I’m not sure they’ll be able to do that.” Wilshere admitted.

“He might feel it’s too early for him and that he wants more time to build success in the North East. If he delivered silverware for Newcastle he’d be a god.

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 04:  Eddie Howe manager of AFC Bournemouth celebrates victory with Jack Wilshere of AFC Bournemouth after the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool at Vitality Stadium on December 4, 2016 in Bournemouth, England.  (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 04:  Eddie Howe manager of AFC Bournemouth celebrates victory with Jack Wilshere of AFC Bournemouth after the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool at Vitality Stadium on December 4, 2016 in Bournemouth, England.  (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 04: Eddie Howe manager of AFC Bournemouth celebrates victory with Jack Wilshere of AFC Bournemouth after the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool at Vitality Stadium on December 4, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
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“But the England job is the pinnacle for any English coach and it might be hard to turn down if there is a proper offer on the table.”

Wilshere, who spent a season under Howe whilst at Bournemouth, then compared the Newcastle boss to Arsene Wenger, claiming he is a ‘top man-manager. Wilshere said: “Eddie is so thorough in everything he does — from the way he organises the season, to his well-thought-out training sessions, to the one-to-one attention he gives players.

“He’s a top man-manager. I’d only had Arsene Wenger as a club boss before I went to Bournemouth and he was a great man-manager, too — but in a different way to Eddie.

“Arsene would give you a lot of trust and confidence and left you to get on with it. Eddie was more detailed, probably because the level of player he had was not as good as Arsenal’s.”