Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe 'leading contender for England job'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 09 July 2016

Eddie Howe is willing to leave Bournemouth to take on the England job and is now seen as the FA's top target, according to a report.

The Football Association is reportedly ready to open talks with Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe over the vacant England managerial position.

Howe is thought to be one of a handful of names being considered by FA chiefs, along with Guus Hiddink, Harry Redknapp, Sam Allardyce and Jurgen Klinsmann.

Reports emerged on Friday suggesting that Klinsmann had already begun negotiations to succeed Roy Hodgson in the Wembley hot seat, following the 68-year-old's departure swiftly after the humbling 2-1 defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016.

According to the Daily Mail, however, Howe has agreed to speak to the FA and has therefore now emerged as the frontrunner to replace Hodgson.

It is claimed that the men tasked with hiring a new head coach - Dan Ashworth, Martin Glenn and David Gill - overwhelmingly prefer an English candidate for the job, but the young manager may be asked to bring in a more experienced head alongside him should he be given the nod.

Howe was named as the 2015 League Managers' Association Manager of the Year for guiding Bournemouth to Premier League promotion, and has since managed to keep the Cherries in the top flight.