Mauricio Pochettino could become a top contender to be the next England manager if Gareth Southgate is to step down as the Three Lions boss after Euro 2024.
Southgate, whose tenure upto 2022 is the subject of award-winning play Dear England, was handed control of the national team in 2016, taking over from Sam Allardyce after the former West Ham boss was removed from his position after just one match in charge.
Since then, he has led the country to a World Cup semi-final in 2018 and a spot in the Euro 2020 final. But he is yet to win silverware with England and may view this summer’s upcoming European Championship in Germany as an opportunity to do so, with a new golden generation at his disposal.
However, if Southgate’s Euro charge fails, the Daily Telegraph has reported Pochettino may be next in line to carry the mantle, with the former Chelsea man emerging as a serious contender for the role.
It was revealed on Tuesday that Pochettino had parted ways with Chelsea after a single season in charge of the Blues. It had been a difficult campaign at Stamford Bridge, with the squad struggling for consistency but seeing glimmers of hope towards the end – achieving five successive league wins.
The England job has long been attractive for Pochettino, who first voiced his wishes to succeed Southgate after the last World Cup in Qatar. Speaking to The Athletic in 2022, the Argentine admitted he was “open to everything” and felt “so comfortable” managing in England.
Pochettino voiced his feelings on English football this season, during which he said: “We love the English culture and in every single club, like in Southampton, then Tottenham. We are grateful through giving the possibility for the England team to have players that get the possibility to play.
“I am Italian through my great grandfather. He moved to Argentina, then I moved to Spain and then France and then England. And you really understand when you start to move countries how people treat you.
“But when we were at Southampton, Tottenham and [Chelsea], the English people treat us well. It is an amazing thing. Not just us, our families too. It is why I feel at home when I am in England.”
Pochettino has also been linked with a move to Manchester United if the club are to sack under pressure manager Erik ten Hag. Southgate has also been linked with a switch to Old Trafford, although Ten Hag’s future remains undecided for the time being.
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