It’s no longer news that Gareth Southgate has stepped aside as coach of the England national team, which means that the FA is now in the market for a new coach.
The primary requirement for the next manager will be to finally bring home a trophy. Southgate led England to back-to-back Euros finals and a World Cup semi-final, so the standards for his successor are incredibly high. According to rumors, several managers are currently on the FA’s radar. Here are the top 7 coaches who could replace Gareth Southgate as coach of England.
7. Sarina Wiegman
Another coach who seems to have an outside chance is Sarina Wiegman. Her CV is actually very rich. She has won the Women’s Euros and reached the final of the Women’s World Cup with both England and the Netherlands. She has been named The Best FIFA Women’s Coach 4 times and she won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award in 2022. The last major trophy won by England was won by Wiegman, and the CEO of the FA, Mark Bullingham, is apparently a big fan of hers, recently declaring his faith in her abilities by saying that she can do anything she wants in football. But the reality is that she is far from being one of the favorites. First of all, she is a woman, and we’ve never seen a woman take control of a men’s football team. On top of that, she’s Dutch, so on two sides, she is not the usual candidate for the post of England national team manager.
6. Lee Carsley
This next guy, though, is a fan-favorite. That is, for those who know him. Lee Carsley is the current England under-21 manager and he helped the boys win the under-21 Euros in 2023. People who have watched Carsley’s team play appear to be really impressed with his style, and they believe it’s a hire that the senior team could benefit from. It also helps his CV that he worked with Pep Guardiola briefly when he worked as the coach of the under-18s team at Manchester City between 2016 and 2017. During that time, he got the boys to the final of the FA Youth Cup. But to be honest, at this point, Carsley seems like he only has an outside chance of succeeding Gareth Southgate as England boss.
5. Mauricio Pochettino
But Potter is not the only former Chelsea manager being eyed up by the FA. Apparently, Mauricio Pochettino is, too. The Argentinian gaffer has ample experience working in England, having coached Southampton, Spurs, and Chelsea. He is also currently out of a job after he left Chelsea this summer, so, just like with Potter, hiring him would be pretty straightforward. Poch is known to have brought the best out of England’s captain Harry Kane and former golden boy Dele Alli. That alone could be enough motivation for the FA to hire him. But Poch is not the most successful manager on the block, having not won any silverware in England, so he surely won’t be a fan-favorite for the job.
4. Graham Potter
In that case, the FA could turn their attention to Graham Potter. Yes, his time at Chelsea wasn’t the best, but he did enough at Brighton to still have suitors in the FA. Potter has been without a job since he was let go from the Chelsea job in 2023, so unlike Pep and Howe, hiring him would be a lot more straightforward for the FA. Potter is known for his beautiful style of play, so considering that fans complained about Southgate playing boring football, Potter would be a big relief. Pep Guardiola himself once confessed to being a fan of Potter. He said that Potter’s Brighton was a joy to watch and analyze. Being endorsed by one of the best managers of all time is surely a huge CV boost.
3. Eddie Howe
Considering how the FA hires, it’s more likely that Southgate’s replacement will be an Englishman. In that case, we should really be looking at Eddie Howe. According to reports, the Newcastle manager is one of the top favorites to take over from Southgate. He was impressive at Bournemouth and has been impressive so far at Newcastle, and his performances at these clubs have earned him admirers within the FA. Howe’s coaching style is flexible and involves high pressing, which forces quick turnovers from the opponents. If he brings this to the England national team, it would be super exciting and could certainly yield the desired results. The problem here, though, is that Howe has a contract with Newcastle which runs until 2027; it would be difficult to get him out of that, especially because Newcastle have said that they want their manager to stay.
2. Pep Guardiola
At least, that’s what the rumors say could happen with Pep Guardiola. He is still in charge of Manchester City and will be leading them into the 2024-25 season, but his current contract expires in 2025, and there’s a huge possibility that he’ll be leaving the City job next year. There’s no doubt that Pep has conquered club football, so he might be looking for a new challenge after Man City, and what could be newer and more challenging for him than international football? Rumors say that the FA is willing to wait for the Spaniard to leave the City job and then hire him in 2025, just in time to take the national team to the 2026 World Cup. Giving Pep the keys to that England super team could spell serious trouble for every other national team at the World Cup. But do you think that could really happen?
1. Jürgen Klopp
A name that has been mentioned very often in the last few days is Jürgen Klopp. The German gaffer stepped away from his Liverpool job this summer, saying he wanted a break, but it seems the FA might be looking to tempt him into a very early return to coaching. To be fair, coaching a national team is not as stressful as coaching a club. You get more time off and you won’t be in charge of as many games in a year. This might really be tempting for Klopp. He ran out of energy for club football, but maybe he has just enough for internationals. The former Liverpool boss already has ample experience coaching in England after having been in charge of the Reds between 2015 and 2024. He knows the players, knows the environment, knows the culture, knows the fans, knows the language, and knows exactly how to win trophies in England, so he could be the one to bring it home. But Klopp has quickly responded to these rumors by saying he is bent on taking a year’s break from coaching. Well, that still doesn’t completely rule him out. The FA could possibly hire a caretaker manager while they wait to hire him in 2025.
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