FA ‘endorsement’ for next England manager appointment makes ex-Chelsea duo ‘leading candidates’
According to reports, two former Chelsea managers have emerged as the ‘leading overseas candidates’ to replace Gareth Southgate as England boss.
The FA have been searching for a new England manager since Gareth Southgate announced his exit after his side lost against Spain in the Euro 2024 final earlier this summer.
Southgate‘s contract was due to expire at the end of this year and he opted against leading England into the 2026 World Cup.
The 53-year-old guided England to two major tournament finals. Still, it is widely accepted that this is the right time for the FA to appoint a new manager as their performances at Euro 2024 were heavily criticised.
Eddie Howe, Graham Potter and Lee Carsley are among the English candidates in the frame for the role, while Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have been mooted as potential dream appointments.
READ: Howe leaving Newcastle for England job might be just the crisitunity the Magpies need
It has been suggested that U21 boss Carsley could manage the senior side on an interim basis until 2025, but The Guardian has provided a fresh update.
The report claims the FA have given their ‘approval’ for a ‘foreign manager’ to take the England job after CEO Mark Bullingham went to the board ‘to get backing’.
It is said that ‘the board are understood to have endorsed Bullingham’s request without putting it to a vote, although there were some dissenting voices’.
‘Bullingham’s decision to go to the board indicates the FA has an open mind over who should replace Southgate as the England men’s manager and is determined to recruit the best candidate.
‘During the board discussions, it is understood the success of Sarina Wiegman in leading England’s women to win the 2022 European Championship was cited as a good precedent for considering a foreign manager.’
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The report reveals Pochettino and Tuchel are the ‘leading overseas candidates’, but it is noted that the FA’s pursuit of the two managers ‘could be problematic’.
‘Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel are the leading overseas candidates because both are available after leaving Chelsea and Bayern Munich respectively last season, but their salary demands could be problematic for the FA, which was paying Southgate about £5m a year.
‘English contenders include Newcastle’s Eddie Howe, and Graham Potter who has been out of work since leaving Chelsea 16 months ago.
‘The FA’s search is being led by Bullingham and the technical director, John McDermott, who will assemble a shortlist and conduct interviews before returning to the board for ratification of their intended appointment.
‘Given England’s next game is a little over a month away – a Nations League tie in the Republic of Ireland on 7 September – and the squad is to be named a fortnight before, it is likely the under‑21 manager, Lee Carsley, will be asked to take interim charge.
‘Carsley could be a candidate to take the job on a permanent basis given his success in winning the European Under-21 Championship last summer, when his side won all six matches without conceding a goal and beat Spain in the final.’
