Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has confessed being unable to put together his preferred backroom team led to him turning down Celtic.
As Record Sport revealed last summer, Howe had doubts over the make-up his coaching staff which sparked him to exit protracted talks to become Neil Lennon 's permanent successor in June 2021. The Englishman saying no opened the door to Ange Postecoglou who has rebuilt the Parkhead side, en route to title and Premier Sports Cup glory.
However, Howe's main sticking point didn't faze Postecoglou who left Yokohama Marinos and didn't bring his own staff with him. The Australian's success came alongside John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan despite the duo suffering flak for their role in Celtic's botched attempt to secure 10 In A Row. Howe, speaking in a wide ranging interview, admits the chance to rebuild the Hoops appealed but he declined to join the club after being unable to add trusted lieutenants Jason Tindall, Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone.
Speaking to Alan Shearer for the Athletic, he said: " Celtic was the one job I’d been offered that really appealed. The issue there was my staff. I felt that if I was to come into a pressured job like that, I needed to go in with a sense of stability. I could have recruited new staff, but then you’re working each other out and there’s a transition process where it probably takes three, four, five months. That’s five months too late. I needed my staff with me and we couldn’t get them together.”
Howe ended his 16-month dugout absence after leaving Bournemouth when he took the reins at Newcastle. And the 45-year-old has become a cult hero in the north east of England after rejuvenating the beleaguered Magpies. He has been backed heavily by the club's Saudi-Arabian owners. They appear keen to spend big on emerging stars like Alexander Isak and Sven Botman, rather than go big for world famous names.
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