According to a rumor, Pep Guardiola, the head coach of Manchester City, is a candidate to succeed Gareth Southgate as England’s manager.
Guardiola has a deal with Man City that runs through 2025, but the Daily Mail has reported rumors that the England post could open up in 2024 following the European Championship. If Southgate leaves after that competition, the FA will start searching for a replacement.
The Mail claims that several FA decision-makers ‘dream’ of selecting Guardiola. Since Fabio Capello, they have already begun to warm to the notion of selecting a foreign candidate.
Whether Guardiola could easily be persuaded to leave Man City is another story, but there appears to be enough interest for the Premier League champions to be keeping an eye on things.
Since taking over as Man City’s manager in 2016, Guardiola has guided the team to five Premier League championships. In particular, he guided them to a treble last year.
Guardiola would have his first management experience on a global scale if he accepted the England position. He has only ever coached Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
According to the Mail article, owing of his support for Catalan independence, obtaining the national team job of his own country of birth, Spain, may be challenging.
The FA is therefore ‘eager’ to see whether they can persuade Guardiola to take its vacant hotseat. It would mark the end of an era at the Etihad Stadium if it were to be successful.
However, potential contenders for the England position may include Eddie Howe of Newcastle, Mauricio Pochettino of Chelsea, Brendan Rodgers of Celtic, and Graham Potter, who is now without a job.
Although Southgate has a contract with the FA through December 2024, the governing body is already actively preparing for the possibility that he would leave after the Euros.
Since taking over as England’s manager in 2016, the former Middlesbrough player has guided his team to three World Cup quarterfinals—a 2022 World Cup quarterfinal, a 2018 World Cup semifinal, and a 2021 Euro final.
Guardiola remains dedicated to Manchester City
Guardiola said last month that he is content to remain with Man City for the long haul.
The 52-year-old said: “I signed a contract for another two years because I feel comfortable — and nothing has changed whether we won [the Treble] or didn’t win” prior to the Community Shield, which his team would go on to lose to Arsenal on penalties.
