Well, it’s official lads, Gareth Southgate is leaving his role as England manager.
Taking us to two major finals, seeing us through 102 games and giving fans some hope that we could be champions again someday, the bloke’s served us well these past eight years.
But following Sunday’s (14 July) loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, Southgate announced his decision to quit in a statement issued by the Football Association (FA) this morning.
“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me and I have given it my all,” he said.
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“But it’s time for change and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager.”
And of course, within moments of us mourning the end of Southgate’s reign, the natural thing to ask is well who is going to replace him?
While there is already a current favourite to step into those shiny shoes on the sidelines, Sky News reported ahead of the official announcement that the FA had drawn up ‘a lengthy shortlist of possible candidates’.
Yeah, you might think that would be better as a ‘long list’ but I guess they’ve got a whole load of names to whittle down from.
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But some real pick outs from that seem to be four key blokes that may not be such a big surprise to all fans.
That ‘shortlist’ is: Eddie Howe, Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Lee Carsley.
For many, Potter’s the key favourite with the former player currently unemployed after last having managed Chelsea.
However, that wasn’t exactly the sweetest run, with the 49-year-old sacked from the club after just seven months in charge, despite earning a five-year deal with the club.
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Carsley could also be a good shout, having spent a good stint with the FA and winning the European Under-21 Championship last summer - similar to how Southgate managed the under-21s before becoming the big senior boss. Either way, the former Everton star could be a decent fill in while the FA look for someone for next summer.
Howe is pretty well tipped by bookies too, as the Newcastle United boss has long-been talked about as a potential England manager. However, he’s tied to a long-term contract, understood to be until 2027.
Although, it would surely be hard to pass up on an offer for the national team.
Pochettino however is out of work at the moment, after being heavily linked with Manchester United before Erik ten Hag's contract was extended. It’s said the foreign manager is keen to work in England.
The official odds
According to SkyBet, at the time of writing, the odds for the next permanent England manager are as follows:
- Graham Potter - 7/4
- Lee Carsley - 9/4
- Eddie Howe - 10/3
- Mauricio Pochettino - 8/1
- Jürgen Klopp - 10/1
- Frank Lampard - 12/1
- Thomas Tuchel - 16/1
- Gary O'Neil - 33/1
- Steven Gerrard - 33/1
Topics: Euro 2024, Football, Gareth Southgate, UK News, Sport
Jess Battison