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The next England manager odds are shaping up, as everyone looks to guess who will become the next England manager following Gareth Southgate’s six-year stint.
It’s been a successful tenure for Southgate. Originally getting the job on an interim basis following the shock departure of Sam Allardyce in 2016, the former defender led the Three Lions to a semi-final at World Cup 2018 before going one better three years later at Euro 2020. But a dire Nations League campaign put storm clouds over the horizon in 2022 – and Southgate has been non-committal about his future following a quarter-final defeat at the World Cup.
The England boss has a contract until 2024 but rumours are already ramping up as to who would replace Southgate, should he decide to step down.
Who will become the next England manager after Gareth Southgate? Here are the next England manager odds…
All odds from SkyBet (opens in new tab)
1. Mauricio Pochettino: 4/1
Mauricio Pochettino appeared on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football in November 2020, longer-haired and chattier than ever seen during his Tottenham days. Some thought he was auditioning at the time for either the Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain job – he got the latter – so were his appearances as a pundit on the BBC during the World Cup him gearing up for the big job?
Pochettino is in the top tier of world managers, there’s no doubt about that. He took Spurs from being outsiders to perennial top four candidates, led them to a Champions League final and very nearly won them a title. He has since managed bigger egos at PSG and tactically, he’s an astute and brilliant coach who has outwitted the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp in his career.
He would be a big-name appointment with plenty of experience under his belt. The right man for the job? Perhaps – though his lack of silverware and knockout competition record is a worry. Especially given that that’s basically what his job would entail. Still, expect him to get England promoted in the Nations League.
2. Thomas Tuchel: 5/1
Thomas Tuchel has no issue when it comes to knockout football. He’s never lost a semi-final in his career, guided a decent but flawed Chelsea side to a European title and very nearly did the same thing with the basketcase that is PSG (even Poch couldn’t touch that).
Tuchel would have England secure in their build-up and has experience of using huge, star-studded squads to his benefit. There perhaps isn’t a better manager tactically on the international scene – and while his football was derided at Chelsea for being dull, that’s what wins international football.
Is he ready to step away from club football, however? Antonio Conte aside, very few managers do at their absolute peak. It may be more likely that he swoops in for the Tottenham, Juventus or Bayern Munich job – even the Germany job, should Hansi Flick depart.
3. Brendan Rodgers: 8/1
Fluid with formation, a possession-based coach and with plenty of experience of building a side from the bottom up, Brendan Rodgers would be an intriguing proposition for England.
Leicester City haven’t had the best season but what Rodgers has achieved in winning them an FA Cup and taking them within a whisker of Champions League football has not gone unnoticed. The Northern Irishman would likely relish a new challenge and with an impressive CV, he would be a popular pick with fans and players alike.
Is he past his mercurial best, though? Are historic last-minute collapses from his sides a worry? Perhaps – but he would still sit at the very top table of international football, were he to coach there.
4. Eddie Howe: 10/1
Eddie Howe has been tipped as a future England manager since he brought Bournemouth from the foot of the Football League to the Premier League. He would tick all the boxes, too.
Howe plays expansive football, his man-management skills are superb and he’s excellent with the media. He’s astute, his football is tenacious and as shown with Newcastle United, he doesn’t necessarily need a team stacked with stars to do a spectacular job.
The only issue is that his Newcastle job is far from complete. Howe has stated in the past that he’d miss day-to-day management if he moved to the England job and judging by how the Magpies are flying, he’s not ready to give that up just yet.
5. Graham Potter: 12/1
He might be the smartest manager England have produced in the 21st Century. Graham Potter has worked miracles first at Ostersunds in Sweden before coming back home and taking Brighton to record highs.
His football looks excellent and now he’s at Chelsea, where the jury is still out. The England job might come as a welcome left-turn for him if he’s feeling like Stamford Bridge isn’t really what he’d imagined.
Could Potter really be given the biggest job in English football, though? He’s achieved very little concrete success in this country, bar moving Brighton up the table and bucking xG trends. It still feels a little premature.
6. Steven Gerrard: 16/1
Steven Gerrard is already a legend of English football and already has silverware under his belt as a manager. He’s shown glimpses of being able to coach high-intensity, exciting football and if he has the “big-game” gene in management that he had as a player, Stevie G might just be able to produce magic for the Three Lions.
Gerrard’s reputation took a hit towards the end at Aston Villa, mind. The lack of Michael Beale by his side showed him up a little – he wasn’t quite as astute as many had thought. Getting the England job off the back of a failure at Villa might just feel like nepotism.
7. Frank Lampard: 16/1
Frank Lampard has done a great job in rebuilding Everton from the mess it was when he arrived to something resembling a side able to control a midfield and motor away from relegation. He did admirably at Chelsea, too and nearly took Derby County up via the play-offs.
Like Gerrard, though, giving the job to a legend off the back of his name is probably an England move of the past. Like Howe, Lampard is midway through a project where he is – and he probably isn’t good enough tactically, either.
8. Steve Cooper: 16/1
Steve Cooper has taken Nottingham Forest from the bottom of the Championship to the Premier League – but more pertinently, he has history as an England title-winning manager at youth level. Given Southgate’s success, it would make sense to follow suit.
Cooper would be an interesting pick and perhaps would have been favourite if Southgate had resigned in the summer when the Forest chief’s stock was high. A disastrous top-flight campaign so far may just have nudged him out of conention this time, however.
9. Wayne Rooney: 18/1
Add Wayne Rooney to a pile with Lampard and Gerrard. He embodies the very spirit of the Three Lions and he’s impressed as a manager in his short time coaching already – even Southgate has said he’s liked what he’s seen.
Again, though, what’s Rooney actually achieved so far? A relegation at club level and little else on a CV didn’t exactly harm the current England boss but with expectation a little higher these days, the current DC United manager maybe has to step up a little before he takes on such a role.
10. Sarina Wiegman: 25/1
Why not hire the only living manager to win an international title at senior level with England?
Sarina Wiegman led the nation to glory over the summer making difficult choices and clever decisions when it mattered. Giving Leah Williamson the captaincy raised eyebrows – as did putting the Arsenal star in defence – while keeping an unchanged team throughout the tournament despite the emergence of several stars from the bench could have backfired. It turned out to be a masterstroke.
Some have already touted Wiegman for the men’s job, with The Athletic’s Michael Cox saying England should consider her (opens in new tab). Appointing someone who’s never managed in men’s football would be a huge move…
11. Arsene Wenger: 25/1
He never actually retired. Arsene Wenger has made no secret of how much he misses management and England actually approached him several times over the years. Who actually knows English football better than him?
Wenger would play expressively and put the joy back into the England side – but it doesn’t seem likely that he will be making this move now. David Dein, his cohort from Arsenal, was the main driver behind a potential move to the national set-up 20 years ago and he’s no longer involved with England – and remember, the big man turned it down.
At 73, we’ve probably seen him coach for the last time.
12. Jose Mourinho: 25/1
Picture it. Jose Mourinho, thumping the England badge on his coat and holding three fingers to the crowd, in reference to how many lions are on his players’ chest.
It seems like a full circle, the only answer possible and Luke Shaw’s worst nightmare all rolled into one. Jose loves English football and would no doubt relish this as surely his final job in English football and his bow in international football. It has to happen, though, right?
