Four Four Two have just released their yearly ’50 Best Managers in the World’ list with Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe sitting in a handsome 41st place, one above Real Betis’ exciting idealist Quique Setien and only one place behind the modest England manager Gareth Southgate.
Howe has led a revolution for the Cherries, despite struggling at times against in-form Championship side Norwich City on Tuesday night in the Football League Cup, he is hoping to forget their ‘below par’ performance and focus on the future. Currently in 6th place, one point behind Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur side, he’s left many people asking questions over where his future could be.
The winner of the 2015 Football League Award’s Manager of the Decade took over the south of England side in the League One in 2012 and only three years later broke into the top flight for the first time in the club’s history. In a recent chat with our Keith Andrews Show, Bournemouth correspondent John Williams touched on the prospect of a big move for the manager.
Noted for his impressive tactical nous and ability to develop players like Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser, the 40 year-old is a managerial prospect with serious potential. His six years at Bournemouth have been a constant display of progress, placing him at the forefront of the resurgence of British managers.
Largely underrepresented in England’s top league, homegrown coaches have been put on the bench for their Continental counterparts. This trend slowly seems to be reversing though with Frank Lampard, Neil Harris, Chris Wilder and Graham Potter all bringing a more progressive and nuanced vision to the English game.
Larger clubs and fans were wooed by the allure of Italian, German, Spanish and French coaches taking over their clubs, but after Southgate’s recent success with the national squad, it’s clear that this homegrown crop are capable of performing at a higher level and Howe, more than the rest, must be in the crosshairs of the Premier League’s larger clubs.
Last night’s Carabao Cup draw pits Howe’s side against Chelsea and if this obstacle can be overcome, the club are in line for their first piece of knockout-cup silverware in over three decades. With rumours of linking Pochettino to the absent Real Madrid position, Howe looks well placed to replace him.
The rumours don’t stop there though. Under-fire Jose Mourinho is also linked with the Real Madrid job and after Zindedine Zidane suggested that a move to Manchester may not be on the cards, Howe’s is a name that keeps cropping up. Wherever it is, it seems certain that it’s only a matter of time.
Edd Norval
