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Gareth Southgate’s resignation as England manager following the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain has sparked discussions about his potential successor. Southgate’s tenure was marked by mixed reactions.

While he faced criticism for his conservative style of play and his failure to use the talented group to the best of their abilities, he led England to two major finals, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, though both ended in heartbreak with losses to Italy and Spain, respectively.

Several high-profile names have been suggested as potential successors, including the likes of Pep Guardiola, and other not so high profile ones such as Graham Potter and Gary O’Neil.

Lee Carsley emerges a candidate himself after impressing with early results

Lee Carsley, who was appointed as interim manager while the FA searches for a permanent replacement, has now also emerged as a potential candidate himself.

He has impressed with early results, guiding England to comfortable wins against Ireland and Finland in the Nations League group stages.

Carsley’s bold decisions, such as making Trent Alexander-Arnold his preferred right-back over Southgate’s previous choices, have paid off, with Alexander-Arnold delivering two Man of the Match performances. Additionally, his ability to get the best out of midfielder Angel Gomes, a player overlooked by Southgate, has been widely praised.

Lee Carsley, Interim Head Coach of England looks on and Ashley Cole and other members of the backroom staff, observe the national anthem prior to the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2 match between Republic of Ireland and England at Aviva Stadium.  (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shed some light on the FA’s search during his appearance on The Debrief Podcast.

According to Romano, while the FA still views Pep Guardiola as their dream candidate, the prospect of luring him away from Manchester City remains unlikely. This leaves more realistic options, including Graham Potter and several other candidates, still in the mix.

He said:

“Look, candidates, there are candidates. There are dreams like Pep Guardiola. We know it’s been mentioned several times and he remains the dream candidate for them. Then there are more realistic candidates like Graham Potter or others. So there are several candidates for this job.”

“But at the moment, I can guarantee that the internal conversation is still not at final stages. So they’re still discussing internally, still giving Lee Carsley his time to develop his ideas, to show his ideas. For example, internally, it was really appreciated what he did in the first few games with, for example, Angel Gomes, who was a player never under consideration (under Southgate).”

“So they want to give him some time and then to take their time to decide. Now we have two international breaks to come very soon, in October and in November. Then it’s going to be time to make a decision. Then let’s see what kind of way they will follow. At the moment, still nothing has been decided, but in terms of candidates, there are several for sure.”

With several names in the frame and Carsley’s strong start, the FA faces an intriguing decision in the coming months.

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