Former Middlesbrough midfielder and current England national football team manager Gareth Southgate has hinted that he is ready to return to Premier League management.
Southgate, who started his managerial career at Middlesbrough back in 2006 while they were active in the Premier League, has managed England since 2016. In that time, he has led England to two FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, finishing in fourth place in his first appearance as the Thre Lions’ manager at the global showpiece. He has also led England to the final of the UEFA European Championship here they narrowly lost out on penalties to Italy in the 2020 edition.
He has helped build a solid squad list of some of the best players in England’s modern history to the point that his squad list for every international break is the most talked about worldwide.
Many have called for him to step down from the role, however. They believe he has done enough and that another manager is needed to build on his foundational work.
The 53-year-old believes it himself as he is leaning towards leaving the Three Lions after the upcoming UEFA Euros tournament. At the end of the tournament in 2024, he would have spent seven years as England’s manager, making him the third longest-serving coach in the team’s history. He is also the only manager apart from Alf Ramsey, the 1996 FIFA World Cup winning coach, to lead them to a major tournament final.
Having worked with and found success with most of the players who make up the Premier League clubs at the England national football team, he has amassed enough experience to handle a top-flight English football club. The question, however, is which clubs will be good for Southgate?
The first place to look will be at the strugglers among the big six: Chelsea and Manchester United.
At Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino is struggling with an over-bloated squad. Coming in to manage the likes of Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling, Reece James, Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell and Conor Gallagher and a host of other prospects who he has watched for the Three Lions will be light work for Southgate.
At Manchester United, Southgate will have Harry Maguire – reportedly on his way out of the club – as well as Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford. He could very well be the stop-gap that Sir Jim Ratcliffe, recently confirmed as the new owner of the club’s sporting area, is looking for. This depends on what the club does with Erik ten Hag, though.
Both roles are great, but his return to club football with these two big and impatient clubs will be too much for even the most experienced managers.
Newcastle United or West Ham United are his best options. Eddie Howe is doing a good job at Newcastle and David Moyes is bringing West Ham back into prominence. Howe is good enough for the England job having developed a number of the players that Southgate is currently interested in for the England side. Southgate can also take the reins at St James Park having watched many of Howe’s players intently.
In Moyes’ case, there is talk of him leaving West Ham soon. Southgate could use the Hammers to get back into the groove of things in the fast-paced world of the Premier League before going on to manage any side in the big six.
