What Celtic target Eddie Howe thinks about European Super League

By David Walton

April 20, 2021

Celtic target Eddie Howe has given his thoughts on the European Super League after the Hoops’ reported stance became clear yesterday.

The controversial idea, which will see 12 founding clubs create a midweek European competition which they can never be relegated from, is reportedly something Celtic aren’t interested in as they strongly oppose the proposals [Sky Sports].

This was despite the fact Andy Walker tried to claim the club would jump at the opportunity to be involved in it [Sky Sports]. And now, we’ve finally heard what potentially incoming Celtic boss Howe thinks of the idea.

Thankfully, he also appears to be of a similar mind to Celtic, as he condemned the idea live on DAZN Canada:

“Football for me is all about dreaming. It’s about having a vision as a supporter, a player, and thinking ‘could we ever get there? could we ever achieve this? You have to have that in order for football to be the wonderful thing that it is. Football clubs then have to survive.

“The pyramid of English football has been what it has been for a long period of time and it’s worked. So we have a fantastic structure which feeds grassroots, which feeds the Conference teams, which feeds the Football Leagues and then the Premier League.

“That’s the thing that has to be the thing that is precious and has to be kept. You need all of the football clubs to survive because they’re at the hub of so many communities. They’re the lifeblood of a lot of people who rely on their football clubs. So that was my first thing – the future of football and protecting those clubs at all cost.”

Celtic and target Eddie Howe appear to be on the same wavelength

Howe hardly speaks as someone who’s in talks about the Celtic job. However, the speculation has been rife over the last month in particular about his long-term future. The latest being that he has reportedly agreed to take the job in principle [Scottish Sun]. Only then for his agent to claim he wasn’t close to taking another gig [Daily Mail].

Touching on the prospect solely from an English-based perspective, he speaks well. He understands the importance smaller clubs have to their communities and how the lack of TV money down south could harm them.

It’s effectively the Sky TV deals that have kept English football in such an incredibly elitist bubble over the last decade and a half in particular. If that was to pop, goodness knows what it would do to the English game.

Eddie Howe in 2009 / (Photo by David Ashdown/Getty Images)

But as much as we want to back Howe, you can’t help but feel the irony in English football complaining about fair game and competition. A league that has four Champions League spots in their table. A league where, if you finish 7th, you still get into Europe.

If we’re going to start tackling unfairness in football, let’s start with how the European places are alotted. There’s an element of amusement regarding how English pundits are suddenly voices of the poor.

As for the ESL, don’t be surprised if this never takes off. The sheer anger to its potential inaugural season won’t die down anytime soon.

In other news, Davie Provan has lashed out at Peter Lawwell ahead of his departure in July.