Eddie Howe's 'irrelevant' claim as £105m Newcastle United trio set for 'audition' vs Tottenham

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Thomas Tuchel’s first Premier League match in attendance as England manager will be Tottenham Hotspur versus Newcastle United this afternoon.

Tuchel was unveiled as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October but didn’t officially start the role until the New Year. His first scouting assignment will be at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Magpies trio Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento will hope to catch the eye.

The former Chelsea manager will pick his first Three Lions squad in March for World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.

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Asked about Tuchel’s planned attendance in North London, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: “Yeah I’m sure the players will be aware of that but I think for me it’s irrelevant.

“It’s us against Tottenham and we’ve got to make sure that we turn up in the same place we were against Manchester United, on the front foot and try and deliver a good performance.”

Howe previously admitted Tuchel’s appointment as England boss came a relief having been heavily touted with the job himself. Howe, however, was not one of the 10 candidates interviewed by the FA.

“There was no-one more pleased than me to see Thomas get the job, really, and take it because it's just a distraction – not that it distracts me, but you can see it's unsettling at times when certain things are said and written about,” said Howe.

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“The more that everyone can focus on Newcastle – which has always been my only concern – the better.”

Howe added: “Firstly, speaking about Thomas himself, I've got a relationship with Thomas, I was fortunate enough to go and see him work at Chelsea when I was out of work and what a brilliant guy, a great person and coach. I had two days with him and thought he was fascinating, I really enjoyed his company.

“I really wish him well, I think it is a great appointment and I hope he leads England to many trophies.”

Newcastle are hoping to record a sixth consecutive victory against a Spurs side who are without several senior players.

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