On Tuesday, England head coach Gareth Southgate resigned as Three Lions boss. The decision follows England’s 2-1 Euro2024 defeat against Spain on Sunday night.
After 102 games and almost eight years in charge, Gareth Southgate has announced he is to leave his role as manager of the #ThreeLions.
— England (@England) July 16, 2024
Southgate had been in charge since 2016 and is the only English men’s national team boss to take the team to two major finals.
However, the heartbreak of losing back-to-back European Championships finals seemed to be too much for the Three Lions head coach.
Many critics suggested that it was time for a new voice in the England dressing room after Southgate’s team rather stumbled into the Euro2024 final.
Here are a few head coaches who are possible replacements for Southgate:
Eddie Howe
After doing excellent work with the Magpies, the Newcastle head coach is the favourite for the position, including guiding the north east outfit to the Champions League in season 2022/23.
Howe had also previously led Bournemouth to three promotions, with the Cherries venturing into the English top flight for the first time in their history. However, his copybook was blotted by relegation with the Cherries.
Howe plays a more expansive style of football than Southgate, something that England fans have been crying out for during Euro2024 and further back under the former boss.
It remains to be seen whether the former Bournemouth boss will be tempted away from a big-money, long-term contract with the Magpies.
Graham Potter
Potter is a head coach who has long been touted as a future England boss. Having originally made his name in Swedish football with Ostersund, he impressed with his style of play at both Swansea and Brighton.
Graham Potter is favourite to be the next England manager.
The xG king.
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) July 16, 2024
Potter rather tarnished his reputation with an ill-fated spell at Chelsea, where he lasted less than a season.
There were big question marks over whether he could handle the big egos in the Blues dressing room.
The England set-up would be no different, with big personalities and egos and big pressure on his shoulders. The job may well have come too early for Potter in his coaching career.
Lee Carsley
The Birmingham-born, ex-Republic of Ireland star has quietly established a promising coaching career with England’s under-21 team.
Carsley has been in charge of the under-21 team since 2021, after also serving in the youth ranks with Manchester City, Brentford and as England’s under-20 boss.
Unlike most bosses on our list, the former Everton player has experience of winning silverware, as his team won the 2023 European Championships. The victory illustrated Carsley’s coaching ability.
However, at 50, with little experience of managing a senior team, Carsley may be considered too inexperienced.
That didn’t stop the FA from giving Southgate the job in 2016, though, so therefore he has to be considered a genuine candidate for the job.
Mauricio Pochettino
If England is going to hire a foreign boss, the Argentinian former Tottenham boss is likely to be the first port of call.
Pochettino has experience managing big names players while at Tottenham and helped turn England captain Harry Kane into a world-class player.
As with many of the coaches on the likely shortlist, Pochettino plays a far more adventurous style of football than Southgate. Although he is considered a good tactician, he has at times been criticised for his naivety.
His recent season with Chelsea was not a major success, leading to his summer exit. The former Southampton head coach’s appointment would be a gamble, but he would undoubtedly be an exciting and interesting choice for England fans.
Thomas Tuchel
The German boss is another with experience in managing teams and clubs at the top level of the game. Tuchel guided Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021 and Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title in 2023.
After the resignation of Gareth Southgate (52):
❇️ Thomas Tuchel (50) is one of the candidates to succeed
❇️ Tuchel wanted to take a year off, but the job as manager of England would appeal to him
❇️ Tuchel was already interested in the Job before the Euro 2021, at that time,…— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) July 16, 2024
He is known as a talented tactician, who has excellent in-game game management skills. Tuchel has dealt with big players at both Chelsea and, more recently, Bayern.
Both clubs’ decisions to fire the German boss are concerning, although both arguably had bigger issues than just their head coach.
Frank Lampard
The former Everton and Chelsea boss is an outsider for the position after poor spells in charge of both clubs. Once again, many will say that the pair had issues bigger than just who picked the teams and the tactics.
The FA seem keen on harnessing the experience picked up by the so-called Golden Generation of the 2000s.
He would unlikely be a candidate if he hadn’t previously been a star for Chelsea and the national team. His appointment would be a massive surprise.
Jurgen Klopp
The former Liverpool head coach is regarded as one of the best of the current generation, having managed the Reds with such distinction in recent years.
During his managerial career, the former Dortmund boss has got the best out of many big-name stars.
He left Liverpool earlier this summer because he was suffering from burnout. He would be a fantastic appointment, no doubt.
If he did take the job, it would be an unbelievable coup for the FA and excellent news for England’s prospects of success in the future.
However, it seems highly unlikely that Klopp would be tempted by the position such a short time after leaving Liverpool in search of a break.
Sarina Wiegman
Wiegman is definitely an outsider for the job, but the current England Women’s team boss has to be in with a shout due to her success on the international stage.
After being appointed England boss in 2021, Wiegman guided the Lionesses to victory in the 2022 European Championships, their first-ever triumph on the international stage.
"I think it's really inappropriate" ❌
Sarina Wiegman has shut down speculation that she could replace Gareth Southgate as England men's manager after guiding the Lionesses to Euro 2025 🏴https://t.co/LcJrTXUBgl pic.twitter.com/P5BTfSS9US
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) July 17, 2024
She also helped England to the World Cup final in 2023, having also previously managed her homeland, the Netherlands, to the final in 2019.
Wiegman certainly has experience at the top level of the women’s game. However, whether she could transfer that success to the men’s game is unknown.
With very few women coaches being offered the opportunity at the highest level of the men’s game, it seems unlikely that the FA would become trailblazers by appointing Weigman.
Who will be Gareth Southgate’s replacement as England boss?