Graham Potter avoided comment on links to the vacant England manager’s job after Gareth Southgate’s resignation this week but admitted he is ready to return to work. The former Chelsea manager is among the potential candidates to take the reins after the national team’s Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou is another thought to be under consideration but offered a cool response when asked about the vacancy. The Tottenham manager said he was fully focused on his club job despite the speculation.
Potter, who received an honorary doctorate at Leeds Beckett University on Thursday, has been out of work since leaving Stamford Bridge in April 2023 after seven months in charge of Chelsea. Since then he has held talks with Ajax and Leicester, among other clubs, but is yet to find a new role.
Despite his time out of the dugout, Potter is still highly regarded by many thanks to his innovative work at Östersund and Brighton and he told Sky Sports: “I’ve had a great break. I think it was important to take a break, reflect and re-energise. I feel really ready, really excited to be back when the right opportunity comes.”
When asked if he would be interested in replacing Southgate, Potter told the BBC: “I don’t think today is the day to speak about that. I think Gareth has done a fantastic job. I don’t think there’s anybody in the country that is more respected in football than Gareth. He and his team led the country and led the team in a really, really good way and I have a huge respect for him. Today is the day to wish him a nice break, because he’s earned that, and I wish him well whatever he does in the next part of his career.”
Postecoglou has the advantage of international managerial experience, having spent four years in charge of his native Australia before roles in club management at Yokohama Marinos and Celtic. “I am at the start of pre-season and am the Tottenham manager, so I have got nothing else [on my mind] but trying to bring success to this football club,” he told Sky Sports News after his side defeated Hearts in a friendly on Wednesday night. “Until I do that, there is no point in me thinking about anything else. I had a nap this afternoon, so I have no idea what is going on [with the speculation].”
Asked if he would consider a return to the international scene, Postecoglou added: “I enjoyed my time. I had four great years. We won the Asian Cup and qualified for the World Cup, but with all these things there is always a natural end, and I thought it was a natural end for me there. I loved coaching the national team. In the future, who knows? Five years ago I was in Japan, and now I am in the Premier League.”
Jürgen Klopp, Lee Carsley, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Eddie Howe have been linked to the England job as the Football Association begins the process to replace Southgate, who had eight years at the helm. England are next in action in early September when their Nations League campaign begins in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland before they host Finland.