Newcastle eager to hold on to Eddie Howe after being linked to England job

Howe is one of the bookmakers' favourites to succeed Gareth Southgate, who announced he was standing down after almost eight years as national team boss on Tuesday morning.

However, Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales is determined to hold on to Howe, after confirming the 46-year-old had agreed a multi-year contract extension last summer.

Eales insisted everything was "hypothetical" at this stage, but asked if the Magpies would fight to keep Howe in the event of an approach from the Football Association, Eales said: "Yes, absolutely.

"We're on an exciting journey and, as far as we're concerned, Eddie is the man to lead us on that.

"In any organisation, if you are performing well there will be speculation from other clubs. But Eddie is under a long-term contract with the club.

"You see him, he loves the day to day of club football and we have an exciting project here in terms of the commitment from the ownership and the journey we want to go on. We are really excited about this season ahead.

"He's a great developer of players. He gets the psyche of the club, and Newcastle, and the fans. We've seen that with the way the team and the supporters have that affinity.

"For us, he is exactly the right man for the project we are on at Newcastle United and that is why we are committed to a long-term deal with him. That's why we think he's the right man for Newcastle. We love him."

Asked if he saw Howe being in the Newcastle dugout for the first game of the new Premier League season in August, Eales replied: "Absolutely, yes."

Eales said there was not a "set number" for compensation, but that some sort of payment would have to be made as for any employee of the club under a multi-year contract. 

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