(Reuters) – Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe said on Friday he had not been in contact with the Football Association before Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as head coach of the England national team.
Former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Tuchel will replace England Under-21 coach Lee Carsley, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s Euro 2024 final defeat in July.
Howe, one of only three English managers in the Premier League, had been one of the names linked with the job prior to the announcement.
Asked if he was interviewed for the role, Howe told reporters: “I was not. There was no contact from the FA.
“England have to do what is right for them and only they will know the processes they have gone through and the decisions they have made. I am certainly not the type of person that is going to analyse that.
“For me, it’s about Newcastle and trying to win games and it’s hard enough to do that if you are 100% focused, and I will always remain that way to my work. If you drop your levels, then the job becomes impossible and at no stage have I allowed myself to do that.”
Howe also congratulated Tuchel and said he had a good working relationship with the German.
“I was lucky enough to go and see him work at Chelsea when I was out of work. What a brilliant guy. What a great person. What a great coach. I had two days with him and thought he was fascinating, and I wish him well,” Howe said.
“I think he’s a great appointment and I hope he leads England to many trophies.
“My preference would have been for an English coach but if you are going to go foreign then go for the best and Thomas is certainly that.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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