5 favorites to replace Gareth Southgate as England manager

Sky Sports reported earlier this month that current England manager, Gareth Southgate, could leave his role following Euro 2024 next summer. The 53-year-old's record as England manager stands at 56 wins, 16 draws and 15 losses in 87 games.

Southgate has split England fans' opinions since the time he has been in charge since 2016. In that time, he has managed England in three major tournaments - the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. England lost the 2018 World Cup semi-final 2-1 after extra time, the final of Euro 2020 to Italy on penalties, and the 2022 World Cup 2-1 to France in the quarterfinals.

Overall, it has been a time of 'what ifs' for Southgate but he has been fairly consistent and arguably unlucky in certain situations. However, some will argue that the talent he has had at his disposal has meant England should have celebrated their first major win since the 1966 World Cup.

With the rumours swirling about Southgate's departure there are already bookies favorites to take over. So, let's take a look at them.

#5 Sarina Wiegman - England Women

Up until now, no female has ever managed the England men's national team. However, one of the favorites is the England women's team manager, Sarina Wiegman.

She became the England Women team's manager in 2021, replacing Phil Neville. In the World Cup qualifiers, they won all 10 of their games, scoring 80 and conceding zero goals. In July 2022, she guided the team to the Euros title with a 2-1 win over Germany at Wembley stadium.

Weigman was named The Best FIFA Women's Coach in 2022, the third time she had won the award. She led the Lionesses to the World Cup final in 2023 but lost the final 1-0 to Spain.

It would be a huge statement if she was chosen to replace Gareth Southgate, but she clearly knows how to get the job done on the international stage.

#4 Pep Guardiola - Manchester City

Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world at the moment, and potentially all-time. The Spaniard is yet to try his hand at international football and it would be an extremely ambitious move from England to land Guardiola.

He is currently contracted to Manchester City until 2025 and is expected to leave that summer. Guardiola has previously said that he would like to manage an international side but if Southgate is to depart in 2024, then the English FA may have to convince Guardiola to cut his stay at City short.

His past is glittered with success wherever he goes. Three La Liga titles, three Bundesliga titles, five Premier League titles, three UEFA Champions league titles, and many more domestic cups to his name as a manager.

International football is different from club football but England will do well to find any better candidates than Pep Guardiola.

#3 Lee Carsley - England Under 21s

Before Southgate was the England first team manager, he was the manager of the England Under 21s. Many feel there may be a similar opportunity for current England under 21s manager, Lee Carsley.

The former Everton midfielder has been the under 21's manager since 2021 and won the European Under-21 Championships this summer. His side beat Spain 1-0 in the final with Curtis Jones scoring the only goal of the game.

The Independent has reported that the Republic of Ireland are interested in making Carsley their new manager. However, they have also reported that England will resist any approaches for him.

Success with the Under 21's and with the first team are very different. With England desperate to keep hold of Carsley he may be hoping for a step up when Southgate leaves.

#2 Eddie Howe - Newcastle United

For Eddie Howe at Newcastle United, it has went better than he could have possibly ever imagined. He took over in November 2021 with the club failing to win any of their first 14 league games and looking doomed to be relegated to the Championship.

Howe led Newcastle to an 11th place finish, winning 11 of the last 18 league games. The good times continued in the 2022-23 season as Newcastle reached their first cup final for 23 years and finished in the top four, confirming their place in the UEFA Champions League.

As things stand, it may be hard for Howe to turn his back on Newcastle as with the investement potential it seems like it can only go up from here. But to manage England would be a great privilege for Howe and it is an opportunity that does not come around very often.

#1 Graham Potter - Unemployed

Graham Potter is yet to find a new job since being sacked by Chelsea in April this year. Prior to that, the Englishman had been proving his worth as a manager with successful spells with Ostersund, Swansea City, and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Brighton played great football under Potter and finished with their record points tally two seasons in a row under Potter; finishing on 41 points in the 2020-21 season and 51 points in the 2021-22 season.

He has a track record of getting the best out of his players and even getting them to overperform due to his tactics. At Chelsea he had to manage a lot of players that arrived for a lot of money and found it difficult to settle and find his best team.

His tactical knowledge and ability to get the best out of players could make him perfect for the England job. It will be dependant on whether they will take a risk on a manager who was sacked from his last job.

Edited by Shardul Sant