INSIDE NEWCASTLE: Why England are leaning away from approaching Eddie Howe, cause for concern over Bruno Guimaraes… and teenage star joins the club

Newcastle and Eddie Howe have NOT yet been approached by the English Football Association as they seek external candidates for the position of England manager.

Discussions have taken place with several candidates other than interim Lee Carsley.

Mine Post Sport colleague Sami Mokbel reported on Wednesday that Howe is among the leading candidates, with Graham Potter, Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel also mentioned.

However, to date no representation has been made to Howe or the club. Some feel that the FA speaking to anyone other than Carsley is more than a recruitment process, and that the current incumbent will be given the job on a permanent basis.

Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell would not say last week whether the FA would approach him when asked if the club would reject any advances.

“We want Eddie Howe as our head coach for as long as we can,” he said. “But we also recognise that we are on a journey, and we also recognise his quality and his potential.

‘I have never been afraid of interest in any of our staff, especially our head coach, and certainly not at the level of organisation that the FA operates.

“I see interest as evidence that someone is doing a really great job. It’s recognition of the two and a half years he’s spent here and the work he’s done at Bournemouth. It’s a rightful recognition.”

This approach may not be right for Howe, especially since it is easier to have a conversation with an unemployed manager.

Carsley is expected to be confirmed as the new head coach before the end of the year.

BAGS FULL OF EFFORT

Speaking of England, I was concerned to see Anthony Gordon cautiously leave the Wembley dressing room on Tuesday evening.

He was taken off after 66 minutes in the 2-0 win over Finland after another fine performance on the left flank.

“You’re not hurt, are you?” I asked.

“No, this bag is just too heavy for me!” he replied.

But don’t worry, Gordon will be back this weekend to do the heavy lifting on Newcastle’s left flank at Molineux.

BRU-NO…

Perhaps of greater concern is Bruno Guimaraes’ form at international level.

This week I pricked up my ears when I heard South American football expert Tim Vickery on the radio discussing Brazil’s 1-0 defeat to Paraguay, in which the Newcastle midfielder was taken off at half-time.

According to Vickery, Guimaraes is currently in trouble with the national team and is receiving a lot of criticism in his home country.

Compare that to Sandro Tonali, who has been praised in the Italian press for his performances in the victories over France and Israel, his first appearances since his 10-month gambling ban. Tonali even arranged an overnight flight to get back to Tyneside as soon as possible after the match against Israel in Budapest on Monday.

SCOUTING FOCUS

Newcastle’s youth scouts are redoubling their efforts to sign players for the Under-15s and Under-16s, with the arrival of teenager Jayden Kouossu following suit.

The 15-year-old joins from West Bromwich Albion after eight years in their academy. The Milan-born Englishman is a highly regarded central midfielder and has also recently spent time on trial at Chelsea.

And it is precisely this age category – at least the youth in our own country – that the club increasingly wants to focus on. Within Newcastle knows of several older teenagers who have been offered to the club – also talented players – but the message is that paying a fee for people aged 18 and over is not the priority.

Instead, identifying younger players – for whom the fee would not be as high – is seen as the way to operate in a PSR world, and these players are then developed for progression into the first team or sold for a profit.

The challenge for Newcastle now is to move to a full-time model for those age groups, similar to Manchester City, where players are trained and live on site.

AD BREAK

Newcastle are likely to return to Adidas’ headquarters in Germany next summer for a pre-season training camp, with a winter break training camp in Dubai or Saudi Arabia dependent on progress in the FA Cup.

We understand that a return to the Adidas base in Herzogenaurach, where Eddie Howe and his team spent a week in July, has been mooted. This would be welcomed by the staff and players, so successful was the trip.

However, they are less enthusiastic about long expeditions, such as to Japan, where sources say the heat made it difficult to complete the required amount of work at a crucial stage of the pre-season.

Meanwhile, with the Premier League scrapping the staggered fixtures that allowed for a two-week winter break in January this season, a return to Dubai or Saudi Arabia is less certain. The fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of the FA Cup are all scheduled for weekends when there are no Premier League matches.

If Newcastle were to pull out before either of those two, a breakthrough in the Middle East could be explored.

Reach for the sky

Finally, on Saudi Arabia’s first day as owner almost three years ago, my colleague Ian Herbert and I found ourselves sitting in the 3SIXTY restaurant on the top floor of Newcastle’s 26-storey Hadrian’s Tower, overlooking the city skyline and St James’ Park.

We chose this location because of its convenient location and because it inspired us to write four pages about Newcastle together.

The club has also been inspired by the trendy restaurant in the sky and is now using it to increase revenue streams by offering a matchday package for £384 per person.

Punters are treated to a three-course meal and the company of a former player before taking their seats at the Leazes End, a 10-minute walk from the venue. It’s all a way of expanding the scope for spending in a PSR world.

SHOW TEASER

It’s Toon Teaser time. Last week’s puzzle was… can you name the FOURTEEN players who have represented Ireland and played for Newcastle since the Premier League began in 1992-93… The answers were: David Kelly, Kevin Sheedy, Liam O’Brien, Andy O’Brien, Alan O’Brien, Stephen Carr, Stephen Ireland, Shay Given, Damien Duff, Ciaran Clark, Daryl Murphy, Jeff Hendrick, Rob Elliot, Leon Best.

This week’s puzzle, and in keeping with the familiar theme, is: can you name the SEVEN players who have played for Newcastle and Wolves since 1992? Bonus points for the ONE current Newcastle player who played for Wolves but has not yet played for the Magpies.

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