Mauricio Pochettino is emerging as a leading candidate to become the next England manager and is open to succeeding Gareth Southgate in the role.
Southgate stepped down in July, shortly after cementing his status as one of England’s most successful managers, leading the country to a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final, and successive European Championship finals.
The Football Association is tasked with finding a replacement who can take the next step and win a major trophy with a squad of players now the envy of the world.
Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager who resigned in the summer, and Eddie Howe, the Newcastle United manager, have both ruled themselves out of taking over.
It has been reported that Mark Bullingham, the FA chief executive, sought and gained approval from the FA board to interview foreign candidates. But the FA is only expected to appoint an overseas coach with a strong affinity to England.
Pochettino fits the bill, having worked for almost a decade in the Premier League in spells at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
The Argentine has a history of nurturing players for the England team. At one stage, while at Southampton and Spurs between 2013 and 2017, he had coached half of the 26 players who were handed England debuts.
At Spurs he exceeded expectations in guiding the team in a Premier League title chase and to the Champions League final. When the national team trained at Hotspur Way, the club’s training ground, Pochettino would frequently be spotted watching the sessions.
He was fiercely proud of representing his own country and was honoured when his players were called up for England.
At Chelsea he also demonstrated his acumen for knockout football – a key attribute of international football – reaching the League Cup and FA Cup final in a tumultuous single season in charge. In Cole Palmer he added yet another young player to be unleashed in senior football and handed an England debut under his guidance.
Indeed, Pochettino, 52, ticks all of the criteria boxes outlined in the FA’s job advert for the role that was publicised last month.
Two of the key requirements are a coach with “a track record of creating a high performing, positive team culture and environment” and “experienced in successfully identifying, managing and developing English qualified players”.
Finding himself in the middle of a war between fans and the ownership at Chelsea last season indicates a coach who is “highly resilient and comfortable in a very high-profile role with intense public scrutiny” – another key facet. Southgate faced almost constant criticism and abuse during his time as England manager, despite what he delivered.
As well as following their own succession plan, the FA decided to take the slightly surprising decision to invite applications for the job because the governing body promotes transparency in appointments in the football industry and wanted to set an example to clubs.
There is, i understands, nothing preventing Pochettino from taking over the job, if it is offered, but he is thought to have interest from elsewhere.
There is the prospect of taking over as the USA head coach and becoming a figurehead leading the nation at a home World Cup in 2026. Clubs are also hovering.
Time is fast running out to make an appointment before England’s Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in four weeks’ time. But Bullingham, who is working alongside FA technical director John McDermott, who worked with Pochettino at Spurs, will take his time to make the right appointment. The job application only closed at the start of August.
It is expected that Lee Carsley, the England Under 21 manager, will be given the job on an interim basis for the Nations League fixtures. The matches will be a chance for Carsley, who is also considered a candidate, to show how he handles the job.
Southgate was the Under 21 manager before taking the job initially on a temporary basis. It has also been noted that Luis de la Fuente, whose Spain side beat England in the Euro 2024 final, followed a similar pathway of working with his country’s youth teams before stepping up.
Under Uefa rules England have until midnight on the day before the first Nations League game to submit their squad for the fixtures, but in reality the manager in charge will need to have been given time to select the squad, announce it in advance and work with the players, as is customary.
Frank Lampard was talked up by former England striker Gary Lineker as the next England manager, while Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel, both former Chelsea managers, have also been suggested.
The Football Association is not commenting on the appointment process and candidates.
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