Former Newcastle and England manager Sam Allardyce says he “would have picked” Eddie Howe to succeed Gareth Southgate.

Thomas Tuchel was announced as the FA’s choice on Wednesday but, speaking on talkSPORT, Allardyce said that Howe, Under 21 coach Lee Carsley, Chelsea icon Frank Lampard or Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard all would have been better options:

“The problem with the FA is they’ve gone against everything that they were doing in terms of building and developing their own from within.”

“For me, that could have been Lee Carsley. If not, they could have gone all out for Eddie Howe or even Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard in the end because you’ve got a quality squad.”

“You have to be up there or thereabouts, I think, for anybody to consider you as the English national coach. I think that’s why I would have picked Eddie Howe and gone all out for it.”

Howe was not even approached by the FA

Club legend Alan Shearer told the ‘Rest of Football’ podcast earlier this week that he had it on good authority the Magpies’ head coach had not even been contacted about the position.

That is very surprising considering that Howe is clearly the standout candidate among English managers, having managed Newcastle in the Champions League after guiding them to a 4th place finish in 2023.

Newcastle fans will be glad that their manager is staying

While Allardyce is disappointed that Howe was not considered for the England job, Magpies supporters will be very happy that the 46-year-old will be remaining at St James’ Park.

Although the takeover by PIF has undoubtedly improved the club’s fortunes in recent years, the steady stewardship of Howe has allowed the team to challenge at the top end of the table, without breaking the bank. Fans will be hoping that he remains in charge for many more years to come.

Find out who is in Newcastle United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here