14 Managers Who Could Replace Gareth Southgate at England [Ranked]
In late 2023, reports suggested that the Football Association could be on the lookout for a new England manager in the near future. Indeed, it was claimed that Gareth Southgate may step down after EURO 2024.
What’s more, with his contract up at the end of the year, the man himself has yet to commit his future to the Three Lions. He told the media in March 2024 that he had “consciously shelved” discussions with the FA about a new deal as he didn’t want a negative reaction from the public before the Euros.
The Three Lions let the same crown from three years ago slip again with a 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of EURO 2024, but although speculation has ramped up further around the manager’s future, with suggestions that he may stay until 2026, performances have left fans feeling underwhelmed, despite the run-in. That said, below are 14 potential candidates for the England job if Southgate does leave following EURO 2024, and they have been ranked based on the following factors.
Ranking factors
Past links to the England job
Availability
Experience of English football
General success as a manager
14 Potential Gareth Southgate Replacements (Ranked)
Rank
Manager
Current Job
1
Graham Potter
None
2
Lee Carsley
England U21s
3
Eddie Howe
Newcastle United
4
Mauricio Pochettino
None
5
Thomas Tuchel
None
6
Steven Gerrard
Al-Ettifaq
7
Roberto Mancini
Saudi Arabia
8
Gary O’Neil
Wolverhampton Wanderers
9
Sarina Wiegman
England Women
10
Frank Lampard
None
11
Pep Guardiola
Manchester City
12
Brendan Rodgers
Celtic
13
Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham Hotspur
14
Jurgen Klopp
None
14Jurgen Klopp
Current Job: None
While it’s highly unlikely that Jurgen Klopp will return to management shortly after Euro 2024 – he intends to take at least a year away from football – it would be foolish of the FA not to at least try and chance their arm with the German. Even if they can convince him to join sometime after his sabbatical.
Klopp left Liverpool at the end of last season, and then became the best out-of-work manager in the world. He has spoken about not wanting to manage another English club, but perhaps if he wants to stay in the country, this could be a compromise. It certainly would be a major coup.
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13Ange Postecoglou
Current Job: Tottenham Hotspur
Having only just arrived in England one year ago, and having made a brilliant start to life as Tottenham Hotspur’s manager, this feels like an unrealistic option. He’s already proven himself in Britain with an outstanding tenure as Celtic manager, while the 58-year-old also has experience on the international stage too, as Australia’s boss between 2013–2017.
What’s more, his ability to bring the good vibes back to Spurs after years of misery, echoes what Southgate did when taking charge of England. It’s certainly an outside shot but could be one to consider. He was even quizzed about the possibility in October 2023, to which he replied: “Oh, come on mate.” Before adding: “Stranger things have happened, but no.”
12Brendan Rodgers
Current Job: Celtic
Brendan Rodgers may be from Northern Ireland, but the ex-Liverpool and Leicester City manager has previously been mentioned in conversations surrounding the England managerial role. He has returned to Celtic to win the Scottish Premiership in the 2023/24 season after a downward spiral at the King Power Stadium saw Leicester drop into the Championship.
He’s no longer viewed as the exciting, young manager he was when breaking onto the scene with Swansea City, but Rodgers is still a vastly experienced boss who could get the talented players in the Three Lions squad playing good football. Granted, it’s unlikely the FA would look in his direction in 2024.
11Pep Guardiola
Current Job: Manchester City
The Manchester City boss makes this list as he has already been touted as a name to be targeted by the FA should Southgate leave his job after Euro 2024. The timing could work out well too, with Pep Guardiola’s contract at the Etihad set to expire in 2025.
This would be the biggest coup for England, and it would be fascinating to see just what would happen if he did take charge – from crazy tactical decisions to inspiring potential Ballon d’Or winners – but it remains unclear if the 53-year-old would have any interest in taking the job. Still, he could be open to a new challenge and international football is one area of the game Guardiola has yet to conquer as a manager.
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10Frank Lampard
Current Job: None
After an average spell with Derby County, Frank Lampard was fast-tracked by the powers that be at Stamford Bridge and handed the Chelsea manager’s job. It didn’t go well for him at the club where he shone for many years, but he still managed to land on his feet as he took charge of Everton next. While he initially helped keep the Toffees from relegation, that was about as good as it got for the Englishman as he was fired the following season with just three wins from 20 games in the Premier League.
Remarkably, he was later handed a second shot at Chelsea, tasked with steadying the ship following Graham Potter’s woeful time in west London. This went even worse than his first spell, though, as the Blues crashed out of the Champions League and slumped to a 12th-placed finish in the Premier League. With all that in mind, despite having done nothing to prove he is a good enough coach to be appointed as England manager, Lampard still appears to somehow be in with an outside shout of landing the job.
9Sarina Wiegman
Current Job: England
Sarina Wiegman has done a fantastic job on the international scene in her career so far. Indeed, before taking charge of the England Women’s team, she won the UEFA Women’s Championship with the Netherlands in 2017, while also finishing runners-up with them at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Incredibly, she has matched this feat with the Lionesses, winning the 2022 Euros but sadly falling short at the final hurdle yet again at the World Cup the following year.
For all her success, she certainly would make a strong and exciting candidate to come in and replace Southgate. Her current relationship with the FA could also make for a smooth transition. However, it would be patronising to assume she would want to swap women’s football to try her hand in the men’s game, which is why Wiegman doesn’t feature as a more likely option on this list.
8Gary O’Neil
Current Job: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Gary O’Neil has forced his way into this conversation with some incredible work at Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League. The former midfielder guided the Cherries to safety in the 2022/23 season against all odds before being dismissed harshly.
He then jumped straight back into management with Wolves, who were also seen as a team in contention to be relegated. However, the intelligent O’Neil steered the ship into mid-table, with the club never looking in any danger of dropping into the second tier of English football.
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7Roberto Mancini
Current Job: Saudi Arabia
The FA will ultimately be looking for someone who has experience in England but also on the international stage. Well, in Roberto Mancini they have a perfect mix of both. Indeed, he was a Premier League winner with Manchester City and, of course, led Italy to their EURO 2020 triumph – against England at Wembley no less.
His inability to secure qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is a mark against the Italian’s name, but the 59-year-old could be a smart option. For the time being, though, he has taken over as Saudi Arabia’s national team head coach – although he doesn’t seem to be that happy there, even walking out early during a penalty shootout as his side were knocked out of the Asia Cup.
6Steven Gerrard
Current Job: Al-Ettifaq
Much like Lampard, Steven Gerrard had an outstanding career in the Premier League as a footballer but has failed to deliver the same level of quality from the touchlines. The Liverpool legend lasted just 11 months in charge at Aston Villa, before getting the sack following the club’s sixth defeat in 11 league games.
In his final season, he won just two of 12 Premier League matches and his failings were cast in an even poorer light when Unai Emery took over and managed to get the Villans into Europe before the campaign was over. Gerrard has since found himself another job and is now working for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq and hasn’t massively impressed there. Still, given his playing career, it feels unwise to completely rule him out of the running as a possible future England manager.
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5Thomas Tuchel
Current Job: None
Like Klopp, Thomas Tuchel is one of the high-profile European managers to have left his club at the end of the 2023/24 season. His time at Bayern Munich wasn’t a resounding success, but he did win the Bundesliga and his past achievements undoubtedly prove his credentials as a top coach.
After all, he led Chelsea to a Champions League triumph. That experience in knockout football, coupled with his understanding of English football, makes him a perfect candidate to replace Southgate. It was even reported that he was keen on the England job after being sacked at Stamford Bridge, so this could be an appointment to please all parties.
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4Mauricio Pochettino
Current Job: None
Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is another to have been previously viewed as an ideal option for England one day. The Argentine boss is now one of the best around without a job at the time of writing, making it a good time for the FA to turn their attention to the tactician. Pochettino is known to be a great man manager in a similar vein to Southgtae which is a huge positive towards his case for the role.
What’s more, in 2022, when asked by The Athleticif he would want to coach an international team like England, he said: “Of course, my relationship with England has always been very good.” He added: “You never know what happens. I am open to everything.”
3Eddie Howe
Current Job: Newcastle United
As Eddie Howe took his plucky Bournemouth side from the precipice of League Two all the way up into the top flight, there were shouts that he could one day be the national team manager. His time at Newcastle United since then probably hasn’t done him any harm on that front either.
Still, with the Magpies now funded by the limitless wealth of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, you get the sense that they could eventually opt to put their faith in a more glamorous manager. A difficult 2023/24 season hasn’t helped Howe’s cause either. If Amanda Staveley and co do opt to cut ties with the 46-year-old, he would be an obvious name to end up in the England hot seat.
2Lee Carsley
Current Job: England U21s
While he may have been a Republic of Ireland international – who made 40 appearances for his nation between 1997 and 2008 – Lee Carsley is more recently appreciated for what he has achieved in England. After all, the 50-year-old brought glory to the nation’s footballing youth in 2023 by winning the Euro U21 tournament.
Seeing as Southgate managed the England U21 team before being promoted to the senior job in 2016, it wouldn’t be a shock if the FA tried to repeat this trick once more. It worked out well last time, so why not do it again? Especially considering some of those successful youngsters will soon be involved in the first team.
1Graham Potter
Current Job: None
Out of all the candidates right now, it’s hard to look beyond Graham Potter as the most likely individual to be handed the job. Although his spell with Chelsea was fairly disastrous, considering all the chaos surrounding the west London club, he can hardly shoulder all the blame.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that Potter did brilliantly to forge a career in the top flight from humble beginnings, impressing at Ostersund and Swansea City before ending up at Brighton, where he established himself as one of the brightest young coaches in world football.
Still only 49, the Englishman will have learned from his time at Stamford Bridge and can take that experience into his next job. What’s more, considering his mild-mannered approach with the press, it does feel as though he’d be a natural fit to come in and take over from Southgate.