According to a rumor, Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is being considered to replace Gareth Southgate as England manager.
Guardiola is under contract with Manchester City until 2025, but the Daily Mail reports that the England position could become vacant following the European Championship in 2024. If Southgate resigns after that tournament, the FA will hunt for a new national team manager.
According to the Mail, several FA decision-makers ‘dream’ of appointing Guardiola. They have already begun to warm to the idea of selecting a foreign candidate for the first time since Fabio Capello.
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Whether Guardiola can be simply bought out of his Man City commitments is another question, but there appears to be enough interest for the Premier League champions to be looking over their shoulders.
Guardiola Wins?
Guardiola has been in charge of Manchester City since 2016 and has won five Premier League titles in that time. Last season, he led them to the treble.
If he accepts the England job, Guardiola will gain his first international managerial experience. He previously coached only Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
According to the Mail, taking the national team job of his own country, Spain, may be hard due to his support for Catalan independence.
As a result, the FA is ‘eager’ to see if they can entice Guardiola to take over as manager. If the bid is successful, it will mark the end of an era at the Etihad Stadium.
Other possibilities for the England post include Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, and the unemployed Graham Potter.
Southgate is under contract with the FA until December 2024, but the governing body is already preparing for the possibility that he will leave after the Euros.
Since 2016, the former Middlesbrough manager has led England to a World Cup victory.
Guardiola still committed to Man City
As for Guardiola, last month, he implied he is happy to stay with Man City for the long term.
Speaking before the Community Shield, which his side would lose on penalties to Arsenal, 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.
“I’m happy and the people are happy, the board and the hierarchy especially, because they decide in the end which manager is going to lead this group of players.
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