Gareth Southgate will decide in the next few days whether he wants to continue as England manager.
The 53-year-old has led the Three Lions for nearly eight years and is out of contract in December.
With him close to leaving after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it would not be surprising if he decided that Euro 2024 was his last tournament in charge.
The former Middlesbrough manager did a great job, reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and four games later in addition to two European Championship finals, which saw England lose to Spain in Berlin last night.
Back to England behind us #EURO2024 trip 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Fr39pd8uYs
– England (@England) July 15, 2024
If he decides to quit and take on a new challenge, who will replace him? Here we examine potential candidates:
Eddie Howe (Newcastle United)
After guiding Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League, Howe moved to Newcastle and raised his profile on Tyneside.
He led the club away from the relegation zone after being appointed as Steve Bruce’s successor in November 2021 before his first season in charge saw them reach the EFL Cup final and qualify for the Champions League with a fourth-place finish.
Newcastle struggled in 2023-24, finishing seventh and exiting the Champions League at the group stage.
His high-quality game would sit well with England’s players, although he has a tendency to change tactics and stay with strong teams – a tactic that did not work for Southgate.
He is also free from the media although he has received fair criticism for refusing to answer questions about the ownership of the Saudi Arabian team.
Graham Potter (no club)
Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 after seven months in charge. He got his chance at Stamford Bridge following a highly successful spell with Brighton where he gained a reputation as a progressive coach who played an extended, possession-based game.
He earned praise from Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa for his tactical flexibility.
Potter has worked his way up from the grassroots as he started with Leeds Carnegie before moving on to Swedish club Ostersund and then Swansea City.
Thomas Tuchel (no club)
Another lost his job after leaving Bayern Munich a year into a two-year contract.
He has built a reputation as one of the most innovative managers in Europe over the last decade and can boast the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea with an impressive CV.
He won the Champions League with Chelsea and has claimed domestic titles in France and Germany.
He has a way of speaking his mind which has caused uproar from former employers and can be a problem with the occasional English press.
It remains to be seen whether the FA will appoint a German to the role.
Jurgen Klopp (no club)
A dream appointment for many England fans, who would be happy to ignore his nationality as he has spent so much time at Liverpool.
Now on sabbatical after leaving Anfield, it may take careful negotiation – and possibly a few months with a caretaker – for the FA to pull it off.
From a stylistic perspective, Klopp would be a good fit if he can reproduce his high-press, high-tempo gameplan with England.
Definitely a long shot, though.
Lee Carsley (England Under-21s)
Like Southgate, he would take on a senior job working with the under-21s.
Unlike Southgate, he has little managerial experience at club level but served as head coach at Brentford and was managing manager at Coventry City and Birmingham City before entering the FA system to work with the under-20s in 2020.
He was promoted to Under-21 manager in 2021 and led the team to the European Under-21 Championship trophy two years later when they beat Spain.
A small unknown value can also be viewed as a trivial choice.
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