Following Southgate’s resignation as the Three Lions’ manager, the choice of his successor has attracted significant attention. The Telegraph has expressed its view that the new manager must be English, and the Football Association (FA) should not consider foreign candidates.
The newspaper makes its stance clear from the outset, stating that the next England national team manager must be British. It argues that, much like Southgate, who was previously in charge of the U21 national team before taking over the senior squad, this approach should be continued for grooming the next national team manager. Current U21 national team manager Lee Carsley, who led the team to victory at last summer’s European Youth Championship along with his assistant Ashley Cole, are the most likely successors to Southgate, albeit possibly in an interim capacity. Their first major test will be the Nations League match against Ireland, for which they will need to select a new national team roster within six weeks. Carsley is Irish, having made 40 appearances for the national team. He was born in England and trained under the St. George’s Park coaching system.
The paper acknowledges that selecting a manager for the England national team is no easy task. In the past, the FA had considered appointing the highest-paid Premier League manager Arsene Wenger, appointed Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2000, and hired Fabio Capello, earning £6 million annually in 2007. However, after their departures, English football found itself in disarray.
Eddie Howe is also seen as a suitable candidate, given his impressive track record at Newcastle and his understanding of the English league system at all levels. Once, the FA held the ultimate say in English football. Today, that situation is a thing of the past. Clubs now have greater financial power, and currently, the FA cannot compete with clubs by offering high salaries to managers. The national team can only “borrow” players from clubs.
Finally, the newspaper suggests that Spain’s success provides a model worth following. Spain’s national team coach, Luis de la Fuente, started as the U21 national team coach, then moved on to manage the senior team, leading them to win the current European Championship.
