The Football Association is calling for a one-year interim England manager to appoint Pep Guardiola to replace Gareth Southgate.
Southgate stepped down as Three Lions manager on Tuesday after 8 years and 102 games in charge, a run that ended with a defeat in the Euro 2024 final.
The race is now in search of his successor, with Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, Lee Carsley and Mauricio Pochettino topping the FA shortlist.
Although there was much help from enthusiasts and experts in Guardiola’s signing, the Manchester City manager’s arrival has been seen as a wild fantasy rather than a realistic prospect.
This is largely due to the preference to appoint a new manager ahead of England’s upcoming matches in September and Guardiola is under contract with City until next summer and could extend his stay at the Etihad further.
However, the Indepfinishent newspaper reports that there is a feeling that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach will end his City career at the end of next season.
The FA is therefore willing to wait for the 53-year-old if they believe there is a chance of signing him in 2025, and will appoint an interim coach to oversee the national team until then.
Most likely it will be England U21 manager Carsley, which would also give him the chance to try his luck at senior level if Guardiola were unreachable.
Guardiola has already declared his interest in taking over foreign control at some point and is already very familiar with some of England’s most sensible players such as Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, John Stones and Kyle Walker.
He has no interest in becoming Spain manager due to his Catalan identity, however the task at La Roja is unlikely to be available for some time given their Euro 2024 triumph.
Although it would be risky to wait for his arrival, Guardiola is widely regarded as the most productive manager today and one of the greatest of all time, having won 12 league titles (including six Premier Leagues), 10 domestic cups and 3 champions. Leagues. as well as other distinctions.
Eddie Howe: 5/2
Graham Potter: 3/1
Lee Carsley: 7/2
Jurgen Klopp: 17/2
Mauricio Pochettino: 9/1
Thomas Tuchel: 18/1
Pep Guardiola: 40/1
Odds courtesy of Betfair
Furthermore, even if the Nations League campaign were to be missed, qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup would likely not even begin until September next year due to a shake-up of the qualifying format.
But despite their reputation, there are reservations about hiring a foreign manager, while Jamie Carragher also believes the club’s good fortune does not equate to trophies on the foreign stage.
“It’s as if we live in some kind of global fantasy where foreign coaches spend months or years running with the precise profile of the players they choose, devising patterns of play daily so that it becomes second nature every time a tournament is played. arises.
“Not even [Jurgen] Klopp or Guardiola could guarantee the same taste and effects in the management of a foreign team as in their clubs. Have we learned nothing from Fabio Capello’s experience?
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