Paul Mitchell braced for tough Eddie Howe decision at Newcastle United amid England interest

Lee Carsley is currently in interim charge of The Three Lions following Gareth Southgate’s departure. Howe was tipped as a potential successor to Southgate over the summer but Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales said the club would block any approach from the Football Association for Howe.

That message wasn’t quite repeated by sporting director Paul Mitchell earlier this week. Although Mitchell wants Howe to remain as head coach for ‘as long as we can’, he did recognise the interest from England without shutting it down.

“The way I look at interest in general is that it’s an example that it’s proof that someone’s doing a really great job,” Mitchell said on the England interest in Howe. “I think Eddie has said this, and I’m no different, we’re both proud Englishmen.

“I think probably my pride has been challenged working in big footballing countries like France and Germany where I’ve had to fight my corner pretty strongly when World Cups and Euros have been going on because everyone seems to be against me when we’re watching it.

“I think Eddie getting recognised with a job like that, because of the work he’s done, is fair recognition for the really good job that he’s done.”

When asked whether Newcastle would reject an approach from the FA, Mitchell responded: “We want Eddie Howe as our head coach for as long as we can. But we also recognise we are on a journey, and we also recognise his quality and his potential as well.

“Once again, I’ve never been a guy scared of interest in any of our staff members, especially our head coach, and especially from a level of organization that the FA is.

“As an Englishman, I am proud. And I think it’s a recognition of the two-and-a-half years he’s had here and the job he did at Bournemouth. He’s a really good practitioner being recognised for what he’s done.”

Mitchell also admitted that he will have a say in who Newcastle’s head coach is and holds responsibility for the hiring and firing of managers.

In that instance, he was quite clear. “Am I involved? Yes. Will I have an opinion? Yes. Should I have an opinion? Yes,” he said. “But in this current structure, it will be dependent on multiple people’s opinions at a given time where that decision would be taken.”