Gareth Southgate will quit as England boss after Euro2024 even if his side win the competition, it has been reported, with the FA already looking at potential replacements.
Southgate, who has been in charge of the Three Lions since November 2016, has led the nation to the semi-final at World Cup 2018 and the final of Euro 2020, but his side were knocked out in the quarter-finals against France in the 2022 iteration of the tournament.
His methods have not been universally popular, with plenty of fans accusing him of being too cautious and not reacting quickly enough to changing tactics, especially in the EURO2020 final at Wembley, where his side took the lead early only to sit back and eventually fall to a penalty shoot-out defeat.
Now, the Daily Mail report that though Southgate’s contract expires at the end of next year, he could well walk regardless of the outcome of the upcoming tournament.
‘FA chiefs are conscious of the uncertainty and taking seriously the possibility that Southgate will saunter into the sunset after next summer’s European Championship in Germany’, they claim.
In an ideal world, they would like to replace Southgate with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, but that is complicated due to the fact that the Spaniard is under contract in Manchester United 2025, a year after Southgate’s proposed departure date.
Other options that the FA have previously considered are Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and former Chelsea boss Graham Potter, who is currently a free agent.
