He’d been hinting it all tournament and after Sunday’s heartbreak in the Euro 2024 final against Spain, Gareth Southgate has decided to call time on his eight-year stint as Three Lions head coach, leaving the FA to find a replacement as the next England Manager.
He’s taken some stick at times for his tactical decisions in key moments, but there can be no doubt that he has brought an unprecedented run of success to his country. Southgate took over a team which had suffered an embarrassing defeat to Iceland in Euro 2016 and he’s brought a feel-good factor which hasn’t been seen since the nineties, uniting the nation behind the national side and delivering three semi finals or better out of four tournaments.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing and the football hasn’t been sexy, but he deserves a lot of credit. The race to replace Gareth Southgate is a lively one, with some big names in the running to become the next England manager. We’ve taken a look at five of the key players, with some surprising names in the mix.
Next England Manager: Eddie Howe (Newcastle United)
One man who has been linked with the England job for a number of years is Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, who ticks plenty of boxes as far as the Football Association are concerned. It’s no secret that their preference would be for an English manager to take the helm and in Howe they would have a candidate who has put in the managerial hard yards, punching above his weight with AFC Bournemouth for a number of years in the Premier League.
He has since performed miracles at Newcastle United, leading a dysfunctional and disillusioned side away from the relegation trap door before delivering Champions League football just one year later. Howe has a style which would please the fans, too, favouring a pressing style which puts his free-scoring Newcastle side on the front foot.
It remains to be seen whether he could be tempted away from Tyneside, however, with the biggest stumbling block likely to be a financial one. Howe only signed a new deal with Newcastle fairly recently and it feels unlikely that the FA would be able to match his large wages, nor stump up for a hefty compensation fee to release him from his contract.
Next England Manager: Graham Potter (Unattached)
A far more straightforward appointment for the FA would be the former Chelsea manager Graham Potter, another man who has been linked with the role for some time. Potter has been out of work since being relieved of his duties at Stamford Bridge back in April 2023, though he has reportedly turned down several roles since, including Ajax, Lyon and the Swedish national side.
You get the feeling that Potter has been waiting for the right role, though he would certainly have something to prove on the back of a fairly dismal seven-month spell at Chelsea, which was by far his most high-profile role to date. His stock couldn’t have been much higher prior to that however, transforming Brighton into a force to be reckoned with under a hugely flexible and attacking style of play. Like Howe, Potter is a well-mannered and thoughtful presence in front of the media – and both would surely appeal as being in a similar mould to the departing Gareth Southgate.
The main doubt around Potter would be his ability to handle the pressures which come with undertaking such a massive role – a criticism he came under fire for at Chelsea. It could be argued that there were mitigating factors in-play there, none more so than the chaotic recruitment policy of the ownership, but he would certainly have something to prove if given the top job.
Next England Manager: Lee Carsley (England U21s)
The Football Association are hardly known for taking risks and relatively safe appointment would be that of Lee Carsley. It is a route that they have followed before with Gareth Southgate and Carsley has impressed with the junior side, ironically defeating Spain to win last year’s European Championships.
Carsley was an Irish international as a player but he was born in Birmingham and he would tick plenty of boxes for the FA, given that he knows how things work behind the scenes at St George’s Park and he has earned his stripes at the junior levels. He would have the benefit of being familiar of a number of figures in the senior squad and would be well-placed to handle the junior players as they transition through the ranks.
Under Carsley the under-21 side are entertaining to watch and there is a case to be made that he could implement an attacking brand of football that the fans would demand. There are strong rumours that we could see an interim manager in the short-term – much like we did with Gareth Southgate of all people – which would take some of the pressure off the largely untried and untested Carsley get the nod. It would also buy some time should the FA decide to wait for a higher-profile name…
Next England Manager: Pep Guardiola (Man City)
One of the most surprising names to have been linked with the England job is the Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, whose qualifications are rather obvious. There is certainly no indication that Guardiola would be leaving Manchester in the next few weeks, but his contract is due to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season and he has long hinted that he could be ready for a change sooner rather than later.
A serial winner, Guardiola would have the pick of every job in the world, but he has hinted in the past that he would like to move into international management at some point. It may be that he chooses to go elsewhere, but it seems unlikely that he would manage Spain as a proud Catalan and England is a country that he knows well. The vast amount of talent within the current generation would surely be attractive to him, particularly when you consider that he knows the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Rico Lewis inside out.
If Guardiola and his family are settled in England, it would make sense to take on this role, particularly when you dangle the carrot of having the opportunity to change the footballing DNA of an entire nation. Being the man who completes the puzzle may be too much for Pep to resist, provided he promises to play a 4-4-2.
Next England Manager: Mauricio Pochettino (Unattached)
It seems unthinkable to anyone who remembers David Beckham’s red card at the 1998 World Cup in France, but the Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino is rumoured to be a leading candidate. Pochettino is well-known to English fans after a successful spell at Tottenham and although his last role at Chelsea was rather cut short, he is reported to be interested in taking on the top job.
He is a manager who favours a high pressing, attacking system and it’s very easy to imagine him getting a tune out of the current England side – particularly given his previous with Harry Kane. The Argentinian has established himself as one of the leading names in the management circle and his appointment would certainly be a coup for the FA, though it could be argued that he’s yet to achieve his blockbuster moment.
It’s hard to call any part of his time at Spurs a failure, but he ultimately fell just short in both the Premier League and the Champions League, while he was unable to crack Europe with Paris Saint Germain – a club where domestic glory is the bare minimum. Chelsea were almost certainly harsh in sacking Pochettino, who brought stability to a side that have undergone cataclysmic change over the past 18 months or so, but there can be no doubt that the pressure would be on should he take the role.
It seems unthinkable that an Argentinian could be the man to end the 58 years of hurt, but we’ve tried everything else! Pochettino has established himself as a top name in the management circle, though it could be argued that he has yet to achieve his blockbuster moment, falling just short with Tottenham in both the Premier League and the Champions League and failing to break Paris’ duck in Europe.
By Nick Seddon
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