A German who achieved greatness with Liverpool; a first female coach who has already tasted triumph with the national team or another Englishman from an ever-shrinking pool of options? The search is on for the next England manager after Gareth Southgate announced he was stepping down from the job after eight years in charge on Tuesday.
The English Football Association said it had already begun the process of replacing Southgate and Jurgen Klopp, Sarina Wiegman and Eddie Howe have quickly been mentioned as potential candidates to take over.
England plays Ireland in the Nations League on September 7, but the FA said it was prepared to go into that match with an interim coach, rather than rush to a decision on its next manager.
“The process for appointing Gareth’s successor is now under way and we aim to have our new manager confirmed as soon as possible,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said.
The foreign option
With few English candidates currently operating at the top of the sport, the FA could choose to go for a foreign coach, having previously given the job to Sven-Göran Eriksson, a Swede, and an Italian in Fabio Capello.
Klopp is available after stepping down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, while Mauricio Pochettino is also out of work following his departure from Chelsea.
Klopp earned legend status during nine years at Anfield, which saw him win every major trophy and end the club’s 30-year wait to be crowned English champion.
He said he was running out of energy when announcing in January that he would step down and there has already been speculation linking him with the USA men’s team.
It is not known whether he would be interested in the England job or, if he was approached, if the opportunity would come too soon into his break from soccer.
“What I know definitely, I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool, 100%,” he said in January.
Klopp’s knowledge of English soccer and his ability to build a rapport with fans, as he did with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, would make him a standout contender. His record of winning major titles in Germany and England has also established him as one of the finest coaches of the modern era.
Pochettino also has a strong knowledge of the English game and an affinity with fans after his time with Tottenham and Chelsea. The Argentine is known for his attacking brand of soccer, led Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019 and won the French title with Paris Saint-Germain.
Thomas Tuchel has coached in England with Chelsea where he won the Champions League in 2021. The German is available after leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
Sarina Wiegman
Wiegman is currently head coach of England Women and won the European Championship in 2022.
She also led the team to the final of the Women’s World Cup last year – losing to Spain.
Wiegman, from the Netherlands, also won the Euros with her home country in 2017.
England has never appointed a female manager for its men’s team, but Wiegman’s record would stand up against many other contenders.
The English contenders
Howe is performing at a higher level than any other Englishman after leading Newcastle to Champions League qualification in 2023, but failed to repeat that feat last season.
Graham Potter impressed with his work with Östersund in Sweden and Brighton in the Premier League, but lasted just seven months in charge of Chelsea, which was seen as his chance to prove himself in a major job.
Lee Carsley is currently the manager of England’s under-21 team, which he led to European Championship success last year.
Like Southgate was, he is well-known to the FA and aware of the requirements to work within its structure.
Frank Lampard was a top England international as a player and has managed at the top level with Chelsea and Everton.
