Alan Shearer has claimed that Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe was not approached about the England manager’s job.
The FA announced the appointment of Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday. Former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Tuchel will officially take charge of the Three Lions in January, alongside his assistant coach Anthony Barry. England interim manager Lee Carsley will continue to oversee the team during next month’s international break.
A Champions League winner with Chelsea in 2021, Tuchel had been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season. However, Newcastle legend Shearer was shocked that the FA didn’t look closer to home after claiming that Howe was not considered a standout candidate.
“It’s happened so quickly, hasn’t it? [Lineker] said that perhaps there was a reason why Lee Carsley was ruling himself out because practically that’s what he did,” Shearer said on the Rest is Football podcast. “Maybe you were right in that he knew something we all didn’t know.
“I really hope they’ve spoken to English managers. I’m told they didn’t speak to Eddie Howe, or they didn’t sound him out at all, I’m reliably told, which is a big surprise for me considering he would be the outstanding English candidate.”
Howe has done a remarkable job since joining Newcastle almost three years ago, initially steering the team clear of relegation before leading the club back to the Champions League. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was among those linked with the England role, while Lineker claimed that the FA had also approached Carlo Ancelotti.
Shearer believes that Tuchel is a good appointment but feels questions should be asked about the lack of domestic candidates stemming from England’s St George’s Park base or within the Premier League. The FA’s decision ultimately benefits Newcastle, though, with Shearer theorising that Manchester United’s interest in Tuchel may have fast-tracked the deal.
“I think it’s happened so quickly that the FA thought, ‘We have to act here, or there’s a real chance we’re going to lose one of our outstanding candidates in Tuchel to a club management job’, and that could have happened really soon,” Shearer added. “I think that fits in with everything, why he would start in January and not immediately. They thought, ‘Let’s get this deal done now.’
“It would be a little bit of a concern. What’s the pathway for English coaches? If they’ve brought this centre along and want to promote English coaches…I’m happy in a way because Newcastle are not going to be losing their manager and he’s an outstanding manager. He would have been the main English candidate, for me, and to know that he hasn’t even been sounded out is very surprising.”