Transfer expert Dean Jones has told Give Me Sport that he has been told Newcastle will go after England manager Gareth Southgate – if things turn sour with Eddie Howe. The current Toon boss is excelling in his position.
Howe has taken Newcastle from the depths of the Premier League to a much healthier 14th place. It looks as if that The Toon will now survive, when it was a serious possibility that they could end up being relegated.
Newcastle have gone seven Premier League games unbeaten, beating Leeds, Everton, Aston Villa and Brentford in that time. They could quite easily make that eight on Saturday, when they host Graham Potter’s Brighton.
But if things go wrong for Howe, which could always be the way down the line, Newcastle have identified the manager they might replace him with – in the form of Southgate. That is, according to Jones, on Give Me Sport.
“It’s been mentioned to me before that Gareth Southgate might even be somebody that comes into the thinking beyond Eddie Howe if Eddie Howe can’t handle it,” Jones claimed, in what would be a sensational move.
Southgate to Newcastle: Ashworth presence makes a deal possible
Let’s be clear, Howe is doing a fantastic job and with a contract until the summer of 2024 – he does not look as if he will be going anywhere, any time soon. He is galvanised a city, a side, and got his signings in January right.
But if he does end up leaving down the line, Southgate might end up being a real possibility. The arrival of Ashworth makes it a possibility – with the duo working together at England. Southgate is on £96,000 a week (Standard).
Southgate himself, has a contract until the end of 2024, and it would take a whole heap of compensation to get him out of the England role. But Howe remains, and is doing a job as good as anyone in the Premier League.
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