Eddie Howe is Free — But are we ready for the Boyhood Blue?

Eddie Howe is looking for some peace and quiet after departing as manager of Newcastle United

(Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)

The news broke across the footballing world like a thunderbolt yesterday: Eddie Howe has stepped down as manager of Newcastle United.

After nearly five years, a historic 2025 Carabao Cup victory — ending Newcastle’s 56-year major trophy drought — and multiple European campaigns, Howe has opted to walk away just weeks before the start of the 2026-27 Premier League campaign.

Following a difficult 2025-26 season where Newcastle dropped to 12th place amid mounting friction over transfer policy and boardroom dynamics, Howe’s departure feels like the end of an era on Tyneside.

For Evertonians, however, every headline involving Eddie Howe comes with an inescapable subtext. It is one of English football’s worst-kept secrets: Eddie Howe grew up an ardent Everton supporter.

As a boy raised in Dorset during the mid-1980s, Howe fell in love with Howard Kendall’s legendary side, idolising Gary Lineker, Peter Reid, and Neville Southall. He has spoken publicly on multiple occasions about his childhood affection for the Toffees, making his name a staple of Goodison pub debates whenever a managerial vacancy arises.

Whenever Everton have found themselves at a crossroads in the post-Moshiri era, Howe's name has inevitably bubbled to the surface. But timing in football is everything, and the two have never quite aligned — until, perhaps, now?

What Next for Eddie Howe?

Before measuring Howe for a royal blue tracksuit, it is worth looking at where the 48-year-old manager actually stands:

Could Everton Persuade Howe to Replace David Moyes?

This brings us to the thorny puzzle at Finch Farm.

David Moyes returned to steady the ship and provide veteran stability through the club's ownership transition under The Friedkin Group (TFG). Moyes brought discipline and defensive shape when Everton needed survival above all else.

But the season ended like a dead squibb: seven dreadful games where Everton under Moyes simply failed to perform, with excuses about injured players, the underlying motive for not playing Idrissa Gana Gueye, and the unpleasant smell of a perhaps deliberate policy to avoid qualifying for Europe.

The fanbase remains fundamentally divided on the style of play and long-term vision.

The Arguments FOR Howe replacing Moyes:

• Modern Tactical Profile: Howe’s preference for high-intensity, progressive 4-3-3 attacking football aligns far better with the modern European model Dan Friedkin's team envisions.

• Trophy & Top-Four Pedigree: Howe has proven he can build a modern squad, take a club into the Champions League, and deliver silverware under heavy expectation.

• The Bramley-Moore Figurehead: An articulate, Everton-minded manager leading the club in its shiny new era would instantly unite the fanbase and generate huge momentum.

The Arguments AGAINST (and the Cold Reality):

1. Timing & Sabbatical: Howe has just emerged from the high-pressure pressure cooker of Newcastle. Jumping straight into another massive reconstruction job in Merseyside seems unlikely if he genuinely wants rest.

2. Boardroom Backing for Moyes: TFG only recently reshaped the executive structure around Moyes. Pulling the trigger on a manager who fulfilled his primary brief of stabilisation would be bold and expensive.

3. Financial Constraints: While Everton are on far sounder financial footing than 2 years ago, although PSR/SCR rules mean Everton cannot match the unlimited spending power Howe experienced at Newcastle.

Pipe Dream or Future Reality?

It's undoubtedly a romantic proposition, but improbable in the immediate term. While the storybook narrative of Eddie Howe walking through the gates of Hill Dickinson Stadium as a bright, young and inspring new manager the club so despeartely needs is tantalizing for many Evertonians, common sense suggests a deal won't happen today.

If Howe takes 6 to 12 months away from the dugout to recharge, however, the landscape in late 2026 or 2027 could look very different. If Moyes's pragmatic brand of defence-first football creates another dismal season of negative 'progress', don't be surprised if Dan Friedkin keeps Eddie Howe’s phone number right at the top of his contacts list.

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