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West Ham United manager Graham Potter believes Eddie Howe is the standout role model for English coaches.
A sad reality is how the two men set to go head-to-head tonight are the only English managers in the Premier League. Harry Redknapp - in 2008 - remains the last domestic coach to win a major honour.
Howe’s own ambitions hung in the balance following his Bournemouth exit in 2020. He left following relegation and took a year-long sabbatical to recharge his footballing batteries.
An opportunity at Newcastle United presented itself in October 2021 and Howe soon re-established himself as a top-level operator. The Saudi-backed takeover could have seen a more fanciful name head to St James’ Park but Toon chiefs backed an Englishman.
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Potter will welcome Howe to the London Stadium tonight having also enjoyed a period of reflection. His Chelsea tenure lasted just seven months and he took almost two years out before joining West Ham.
Speaking to reporters ahead of tonight’s clash, West Ham boss Potter hailed Howe’s comeback story at St James’ Park and standing within the English game. He said: “I only know Eddie from playing and managing against him. I’m good friends with a member of his staff (Graeme Jones) but, while I don’t really know Eddie personally.
“I have huge respect for him and for what he’s done at various clubs, how many years he’s been in the Premier League, the type of teams he has produced and what he’s achieved.
“He had a bit of time off when he left Bournemouth to refresh and regenerate, and I think he’s come back stronger. The job he’s done at Newcastle speaks for itself, from where they were to where they are now. So yeah, I have huge respect for him.
“When you have a break from football, you’re maybe not seen in the same regard, and you almost have to prove yourself again when you go back to work. So, by going to Newcastle and then getting them into the Champions League, he’s become a lot more highly-rated than he was all of a sudden when, in reality, he always had that quality.
“He's someone for everyone to look up to, certainly from an English perspective, in terms of longevity, working at the highest level for so long, how his teams play and the way he goes about his work.”