source: Samuel Regan-Asante
Various football pundits and ex-players have insisted that it’s now or never for Gareth Southgate
to win a major football tournament with England. As Southgate prepares to pick a squad capable
of winning Euro 2024 and ending the nation’s 58-year wait for a major trophy, the media are
already looking for clues as to whether Euro 2024 will be his last major tournament in charge of
the Three Lions.
Southgate opted to pen a new contract after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, although reports
suggest the contract runs until December 2024 instead of July or August 2024. Southgate himself
revealed that the contract includes a six-month “cooling off” period post-Euro 2024. This is
designed to allow all parties to consider whether Southgate’s stay would be extended or if a long-
term successor needed to be found at this point. Southgate said the six-month period could be
used as a form of “handover period” if the FA decide this summer that his time is up.
How should England fare at Euro 2024?
source: Ellen Kerbey
There is a relatively clear path for England to at least go deep into this summer’s knockout
stages. In fact, failing to get out of Group C at this summer’s finals would be tantamount to an
absolute disaster for Southgate and surely an immediate sackable offence. The Three Lions are
heavy favourites to top Group C, with Betway’s
Euro 2024 betting odds currently pricing
England at 4/11 to go into the knockout stages as group winners, well ahead of the likes of
Denmark (9/2) and Serbia (7/1).
Former England international defender, Sol Campbell, who was Southgate’s international
teammate at times in the 1990s, believes
now is the time for the Three Lions to end their major
trophy drought. Campbell said that Southgate was an “honest man” and would “feel” the weight
of expectation on the team’s shoulders to perform and go one better than their last efforts in the
European Championships when they
lost in the final to Italy at Wembley.
Looking at the FA’s approach to the England hotseat in recent years, it’s clear the powers that be
have preferred a homegrown head coach. The likes of Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce and
Southgate have been selected for the role since the Three Lions’ last foreign head coach, Fabio
Capello, who
resigned in February 2012. It’s safe to say that there’s very slim pickings in terms
of potential English replacements for Southgate if the axe was to fall later this year.
Who could replace Southgate in the England hotseat?
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, remains one of the most talked about replacements for
Southgate. Of course, the Spaniard would represent a return to employing a foreign manager, but
Guardiola has been managing in England for many years now. He understands the passion of the
fans and their desire to see their national team succeed. The stars could align for England and
Guardiola. If City are hit with a severe FFP punishment for the 115-strong charges against them,
such as relegation to the EFL Championship, Guardiola could decide it’s time for pastures new.
The most credible Englishmen for the role would appear to be
48-year-old Graham Potter< and
Eddie Howe. Potter has opted to take some time out from the game after his chastening
experience in the Chelsea hotseat. Potter’s spells with Swansea and Brighton were rather more
impressive, particularly the latter, where he turned the Seagulls into an attractive top-half
Premier League outfit. Potter couldn’t really turn down the Chelsea role when offered, but his
remit under Todd Boehly and Behdad Ehgbali changed quickly. Despite being given a five-year
contract, Potter was tasked with spending the best part of £1 billion on a squad rebuild, with
many of the signings not said to be upon his recommendation.
As for Howe, he continues to pull up trees at the
helm of Newcastle United, after cementing
AFC Bournemouth as a Premier League outfit. Like Potter, Howe was the first appointment after
a major club takeover at Newcastle and he appears to have coped with the pressure admirably,
steering the Magpies to Champions League qualification.
For England fans, an ideal world would be winning Euro 2024 and Southgate’s contract becomes
a moot point, with fans surely eager for him to continue to the 2026 World Cup and beyond.
However, it’s never plain sailing for the Three Lions and Southgate may just run out of lives
after eight years in charge.
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Gareth Southgate profile