The FA are supposedly eyeing an audacious move for Pep Guardiola as England’s new manager and could wait until 2025 before making their move.
The FA supposedly believe that Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is an attainable candidate for the England job and are prepared to hire an interim coach to lead the team for the next year.
After becoming the first manager to lose back-to-back European Championship finals with Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in Berlin, Gareth Southgate called time on his eight-year England career.
The FA were apparently keen to continue their partnership with the 53-year-old until the 2026 World Cup, but Southgate – who was out of contract in December – insisted that now is the time for change.
Even before Southgate confirmed that he would be leaving his post, the governing body are said to have started working on a succession plan and have already been running the rule over a few candidates.
Under-21s boss Lee Carsley is believed to be the current frontrunner, as he would follow the same path as Southgate to the first team, while Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Eddie Howe have also been linked.
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FA ‘open’ to hiring interim boss before Guardiola
Jurgen Klopp and Ange Postecoglou have also been tipped to step into Southgate’s shoes, but the former is intent on having a full year off, while Tottenham Hotspur boss Postecoglou has played down such speculation too.
Now, The Independent report that Man City boss Guardiola has emerged as a realistic candidate for the FA, as there is a growing feeling that he will leave the Premier League champions when his contract expires next summer.
There is no chance of the FA prising Guardiola away from the Etihad before then, but as the ex-Barcelona coach is an ‘outstanding’ candidate, they would be prepared to alter their initial plan if they had serious hope of hiring him.
The governing body were originally hopeful of having a permanent coach in place for the start of the new Nations League in September, but they could now be open to appointing an interim manager for a year until Guardiola’s City deal runs out.
The Catalan coach is said to have been earmarked as a coach with a deep-rooted knowledge of the culture of English football, having now spent eight highly successful years at Man City since touching down in 2016, and his desire to step into international management is well-known.
England following women’s blueprint in Guardiola plan
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Guardiola’s first choice for a national team job was believed to have been Brazil, but the FA could try to twist his arm with the thought of ending the Three Lions’ 58-year trophy drought.
England have history when it comes to biding their time for head coaches, as the Lionesses waited to appoint Sarina Wiegman, who was viewed as the absolute priority for the FA at the time.
England’s patience paid off in that scenario, as Wiegman led the Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory and the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where they were beaten 1-0 by Spain.
Should the FA go down the same path for the men’s team, Carsley would be expected to step into the dugout on an interim basis, and should he oversee an impressive set of results, he could be handed the reins full-time instead of Guardiola.
England have only ever had two non-English coaches manage the men’s team, firstly Sven-Goran Eriksson from 2001 to 2006 before Fabio Capello‘s spell from 2008 to 2012.