England manager Gareth Southgate sees his contract expire at the end of the year. It remains to be seen whether he will be staying put beyond when his current deal runs out or if he will leave his position.
His immediate focus will be on helping the Three Lions succeed at the upcoming Euro 2024 campaign in Germany later this month. England have been placed into Group C along with Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia as they look to reach the final in Berlin on 14th July. Southgate, 53, landed the role back in 2016 having previously spent three years in charge of the Under-21’s.
Speaking ahead of Euro 2024, he has said: “There are so many aspects to being with this group of people that I love. We have some really special people who bring brilliant energy to the group. That's what creates the environment that the players come into and can feed off. Ultimately we're trying to form a team and a group that have got to push each other and be there for each other. There's a team dynamic that's crucial to winning that we have to find.
“People will have slightly different roles that they will with their clubs. At their club, all of these guys are pretty much first choice on the team sheet, so some have different roles in the next few weeks. The challenge of winning the games and the excitement of seeing our fans out there in some of the biggest occasions in world football is why you're in the game really. That's what we're looking forward to.”
Southgate’s first tournament was the 2018 World Cup in Russia and his side reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by Croatia. France went on to win. England then reached the final of Euro 2020 (played in 2021) but lost on penalties to Italy at Wembley after a 1-1 draw after normal time. They were then knocked out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by eventual winners France.
Southgate has now reached 150 combined games as a player and manager with the national team. He has said: “I hadn't clocked that until somebody told me before our last match. It's incredible, I'm really proud of it. If you'd said to me when I was 14 years old that I'd play for England, that was the dream. To have the impact with our junior teams and then the involvement I've had for 10 years now at St George's Park has been a privilege. It's a special landmark but you're always looking for the next one. It's less now about accumulating games.
“There's something missing from this England career and that's the opportunity this summer. The desire to push the team now, to win this tournament, is huge. That's ultimately why we're here.”
Here is a look at some of the candidates to replace him if he was to head out the exit door at Wembley in the near future based on the latest odds, with some familiar names and surprises in there...
