Who will be England’s next manager? Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, Jurgen Klopp and the rest of the candidates

In circumstances to which they are not particularly accustomed, the English Football Association is looking for a new manager. Gareth Southgate confirmed his decision to resign from the English court on Tuesday, just over 24 hours after losing his second European Championship final with a 2-1 defeat to Spain.

The hunt for his successor has already begun. This is not a process the FA wanted to go through; in the hours before the defeat in Berlin it became clear that the federation intended to offer Southgate a new contract regardless of the outcome. Nor is it a decision that will have surprised them. Euro 2024 turned out to be one grueling experience for Southgateplagued by criticism from experts and struggling to maintain the strong atmosphere that was a calling card of his time as leader of England.

The position England found itself in when Southgate joined and left speaks volumes about the progress made. The FA no longer needs to look for a safe pair of hands after the twin debacles of the defeat to Iceland and Sam Allardyce’s reign. Instead, they can head to the market for what is surely the most attractive job on the international market, one where there is a realistic chance of winning the major silverware that England’s men have not won for 58 years and making their name in the process to write. in football history.

How will England decide on their new manager?

The FA will not rush into a decision. The team will not compete again until September and their Nations League matches against Ireland and Finland. Mark Bullingham confirmed that an interim plan is in place if necessary. The CEO will have an important say in who takes over, but his voice may not have quite the same influence as his predecessors did before.

John McDermott, head of academy coaching and player development at Tottenham for 15 years before becoming England technical director in 2020, will have the main football voice in a process he is expected to lead, according to CBS Sports sources. He has previously said that Southgate’s successor should be someone who is “immersed in the English game” and can be a figurehead in much the same way as the outgoing manager. Notably, that is not the same as hiring an English manager. The FA are not expected to limit their pool to just their country. Given how close they are to claiming the biggest prizes, they will look to bring in the best manager possible.

What does England need?

What that means for England seems relatively simple. For the first time in a generation, the next manager does not have to be defined in contrast to the last. The FA will want a coach who can build on Southgate’s legacy and his successor will indeed need to have the communication skills and understanding of team dynamics that underpinned six years of real progress.

The criticism of Southgate’s managerial skills could be what he did on the pitch. Heading into the 2018 World Cup, the manager started cautiously as a way to provide cover for a relatively limited squad in terms of talent, but was never quite able to shake his reputation for caution. There were further questions surrounding Southgate’s set-up at Euro 2024, a situation in which England struggled to press and exploit space effectively as an effective unit.

Who could be England’s next manager?

For the time being, the possibilities are extremely wide. English names in particular will almost certainly play a prominent role Eddie Howe And Graham Potter. The latter has the appeal of being available and has certainly demonstrated the same soft skills that have won Southgate so many admirers. At Brighton he proved able to develop young players quickly and respond when key players such as Ben White left. On the other hand, his style of defensive possession may not have captured the imagination of an English public who rarely gave much thought to the caution with which their talented front line was deployed. His problems at Chelsea may also mean he has something to prove to the public. Most in the game would argue that there is no tougher job than the one he took on in the fall of 2022.

Howe recently said he is “completely committed to Newcastle and always has been” and there is no suggestion his club wouldn’t feel the same after two seasons of success under the 46-year-old. However, this was a tumultuous summer at St. James’ Park, with Amanda Staveley and Dan Ashworth leaving the club. Given that turbulence, it was remarkable that the club’s CEO Darren Eales issued a swift warning to the FA that Newcastle would fight to keep their manager. Hours after Southgate’s announcement, Eales told reporters: ‘I’m not going to talk about the details of Eddie’s contract, but he has a multi-year contract that was extended last summer. He is our employee and we have no intention of letting Eddy go.

“He is a top coach, he is the right coach for Newcastle United at the right time. This is the coach we want to lead the club with in the near future.” [foreseeable] future. We hope that we have a long-term coach in Eddie. “He has a long-term contract, he loves everyday club football and we have an exciting project here in terms of the commitment of ownership and the journey we want to take. We are very excited about the season ahead.”

Within the English structure Lee Carsley is a name that will at least qualify. Given the departure of Steve Holland alongside the head coach, the Under-21 head coach seems the logical choice if an interim boss is needed for the Nations League. England doesn’t need to be reminded of how its last temporary boss fared during an eight-year reign.

Carsley, who won the European Championship against Spain last summer, spurned interest from Ireland and has built a reputation for his tactical acumen, cleverly adapting to Folarin Balogun’s eleventh hour move to the USMNT by deploying Anthony Gordon as a striker , and Curtis Jones as striker. a deeper midfielder, a role he would often take on at Liverpool. England have a rich record of late at international youth level – world champions in 2017 at U20 and U17 level, as well as European champions last summer. There is reason to believe that they will try to take advantage of that.

The dream of many supporters would be to get the best of the best. It doesn’t get much better than that Jurgen Klopp, who made it emphatically clear when he left Liverpool that he really wanted the one-year break he didn’t take when he left Borussia Dortmund. Since leaving, he has spent more time in Mainz and Mallorca than Merseyside and has rejected USMNT interest in succeeding Gregg Berhalter. However, England can offer Klopp a realistic path to winning the World Cup in a country he has apparently developed an affinity with. It could mean waiting until after the start of World Cup qualifying with no guarantee that Klopp will be available for them – which could happen if Julian Nagelsmann is pulled back to club play before his contract with Germany expires – but if someone that waiting could pay off in gold…

Mauricio Pochettino would also fulfill McDermott’s desire for a coach steeped in the English game. From Harry Kane to Cole Palmer, the Argentine has had a hand in the rise of many top internationals and ultimately left Chelsea unscathed by the chaos around him. He has also previously made it clear that when the time came to venture into the international market, he would certainly be willing to consider England. He and Potter wouldn’t be the only former residents of the Stamford Bridge dugout to be considered. Thomas Tuchel enjoyed his brief spell in London and kept his home in the capital after taking charge of Chelsea. The former Bayern Munich boss was also the center of attention at Manchester United as they pondered whether to keep Erik ten Hag.

These six are the names most often associated with the vacancy, but there are more names worth mentioning. The managerial careers of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have hardly been as bright as their playing careers, but both would certainly be interested. Sean Dyche’s football may be too prosaic, but Didier Deschamps and Lionel Scaloni won the biggest prizes by keeping it tight at the back and letting the mavericks at the other end win it for them.

On the other hand, this is a course that offers a very real chance of winning one or two of the biggest prizes in the sport. For some of the best of the best, they may be the only ones that still elude them. Pep Guardiola’s contract at Manchester City expires in a year and it seems unlikely that an outspoken supporter of Catalan independence will one day take over the job in Spain. If he fancies filling the World Cup winners’ medal-sized hole in his trophy cabinet while building his case as the greatest manager of all time, there may be no better job.