Eddie Howe has confirmed that he was not among the ten candidates the FA say they interviewed for the England job before deciding to appoint Thomas Tuchel to the role.
The FA have gone with an 18-month contract for Tuchel starting from January, suggesting a long-term manager was not a particular priority for them – and that may have played a part in their not considering Howe for the role. It's been reported that the FA didn't speak to 'outstanding English candidate' before appointing Tuchel.
The Newcastle United boss reportedly has a £6 million release clause in his contract at the club, which was more on its own than previous England manager Gareth Southgate earned as his annual salary.
Some people's England favourite Eddie Howe instead 'focused on Newcastle'
As reported by BBC Sport, Howe said at his Friday morning press conference: "I was not [interviewed]. 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 per cent 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 added that he is pleased with the appointment the FA have made, saying: "I've got a relationship with Thomas and 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. 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."
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Howe has been in charge of Newcastle since November 2021 and led the club to Champions League qualification in his first full season in charge. They finished in seventh last year, eight points adrift of the top four.
Newcastle currently sit seventh again after losing just one of their seven Premier League games to date.
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