EDDIE Mitchell has reaffirmed his desire to keep highly-rated management duo Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall – and hopes neighbours Southampton do not come calling.

Howe has been installed by some bookmakers as among the favourites to replace Alan Pardew who was sacked by Cherries’ League One rivals yesterday.

And although chairman Mitchell says there has been no approach from Southampton, he admits the pair would be an “attractive proposition” for any managerless club.

Howe and Tindall, who are under contract to Cherries at least until 2013, have seen their stock rise sharply since joining forces in the Dean Court hot-seat 20 months ago.

Mitchell told the Daily Echo: “I am sure Eddie will be linked with the post because he is a good prospect. Eddie and Jason have a proven track record with us.

“If I were chairman of a club that had just got rid of their management team, they would be high on my list. We haven’t had any dialogue with Southampton and would have to cross that bridge if it came to it.

“Personally, I think Southampton should be a Premier League club. They have got the stadium and they can get the attendances. It would be any manager’s dream to take them back into the Premier League. If you were coming to Bournemouth, maybe your sights wouldn’t be set quite so high.

“I know they are a bigger club than us but we are in the same division and I think Eddie is happy where he is. He’s looking after us and that’s what we want. I think he’s happy where he is and we are certainly very happy with him so we wouldn’t want to lose him.

“Like with the players though, we have to let people progress if the opportunities arise. It probably would be a step forward but we would be very disappointed if he took it if he were offered it.”

Dorset bookmakers Jem Racing have quoted Howe as their 5-1 co-favourite to replace Pardew, while Phil Brown, who was interviewed for the Cherries manager’s job in 2006, is also a 5-1 chance along with ex-West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola.

Former Cherries boss Sean O’Driscoll, who is understood to have been one of the frontrunners for the Portsmouth job, is also expected to be linked with the post, as are ex-Saints players Paul Tisdale and Alan Shearer.

Jem Racing’s latest odds: 5-1 Eddie Howe, Phil Brown, Gianfranco Zola, 10-1 Martin O’Neill, Paul Tisdale, 20-1 Alan Shearer, 25-1 Paul Ince, Glenn Hoddle (others on request).