Eddie Howe gives tough verdict on claims Jose Mourinho is being lined for Newcastle job

Eddie Howe has told Jose Mourinho he’s planning on being Newcastle boss for years.

The Roma boss was this week been tipped for the head coach position at St James’ Park, with influential Spanish daily Marca saying he could be tasked with leading the club into their “next era.” The future of Villarreal coach Unai Emery is also said to be up for discussion and a move back to the Premier League possible. Emery was offered the Toon job before turning it down before Howe landed it, back in November.

But Howe, who is up for manager of the season for turning Newcastle from relegation favourites to a winning machine, has dismissed the link and insists he is planing for the long term on Tyneside.

That includes leading the club to the top in a 5-8 year project - despite NOT having huge transfer funds available this summer.

Mourinho has always spoken romantically about Newcastle because of his long association with Sir Bobby Robson. Asked about Mourinho, Howe said: “People are going to get linked with the job. I have no issue with that. People talk. All I can do while I am here is do my best every day." When asked if Mourinho could land it, he laughed: “Well, I hope not!”

Howe is secure after 11 wins in 17 games since mid-January during which they spend £94m on five players and started to “create a culture” that maximised everyone’s talents. Newcastle’s “richest club in the world tag” is not accurate and summer spending will not match January’s. Howe explained: “For those people that think it's a vast sum of money, well, it's wrong.

“The vision is a long-term vision. It's not the next two or three years - it's I believe the next five-to-eight years. Not overnight, no. There has to be realistic expectations on what we can spend.