FA chiefs have given their formal approval for a foreign manager to replace Gareth Southgate as England boss, it’s been claimed.
Southgate resigned from the role after England’s second successive European Championships final failure last month.
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe and the out-of-work Graham Potter are the standout English candidates to succeed Southgate.
But the FA aren’t hellbent on having an Englishman at the helm of the ship.
That’s according to The Guardian, who claim the FA’s nine board members have given chief executive Mark Bullingham their blessing to pursue the services of a foreign manager.
The FA brass are said to have an “open mind” over who will replace the recently departed Southgate, who restored the feel-good factor around the national team.
It’s claimed that Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegmann is a contender to replace Southgate.
The 54-year-old guided the Lionesses to Uefa Women’s Championship glory in the summer of 2022, five years after leading her native Netherlands to the title.
The out-of-work Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino are also viable contenders to take up the job.
But it’s claimed former Chelsea managers’ respective wage demands could be problematic.
The pair, 50 and 52 respectively, will likely demand much more than the cool £5million a year Southgate was paid for the gig.
Only two foreign managers have ever taken charge of England.
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By Tom Barclay
Gareth Southgate claimed that only winning Sunday’s final would earn England the respect of the footballing world.
Spain proved a last-gasp comeback too far in Berlin, but defeat did not change the fact that Southgate’s eight-year transformation put respect back into the world of England football.
Critics will pick apart his cautious tactics, his selection choices and his record in the most high-pressurised games – with some legitimacy.
Yet what is quickly forgotten is the laughing stock our national side had become before he took over in 2016.
A shambolic Euros exit to Iceland that summer had been followed up by Sam Allardyce quitting just one game into his tenure thanks to his pint of wine with undercover reporters.
Then came Southgate, with his decency, his humility, his understated eloquence and his vision for a better, different future.
He had analysed why England had so often failed in the past, from lack of preparation at penalty shoot-outs to players being bored out of their minds during major tournaments.
Southgate took those findings and implemented a culture where players wanted to play for their country again – and it led to back-to-back finals for the first time in our history.
Instead of going to war with the media, he opened his doors to them and discovered, shock, horror, that it was met, generally, with support.
It did not stop him from being criticised when required – we are no cheerleaders, here – but the vitriol of yesteryear – or today on social media – was largely gone.
No manager is perfect and neither was Southgate. We cannot pretend his teams played like those of Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp.
But in the fullness of time, his feats will likely be revered because the results speak for themselves.
Hopefully his successor can go one step further and bring football home.
To do that, they must show respect to what Southgate has created and build on it, rather than rip it down.
To read more from Tom Barclay click HERE.
Sven Goran Eriksson was the first, with the Swede being appointed as Kevin Keegan‘s successor in 2001.
Italian Fabio Capello, who succeeded new Jamaica manager Steve McClaren, had the job for four years from 2008 to 2012.
The first England match of the post-Southgate era will see the Three Lions take on the Republic of Ireland in a Nations League clash next month.
Lee Carsley, who is currently Under-21s gaffer, is expected to be in interim charge of the team.
