July 16th 2024.
Pep Guardiola, the current Manchester City manager, only has one year left on his contract with the team. The Football Association (FA) is now faced with the task of finding a replacement for Gareth Southgate, who resigned as the England team manager after eight years and 102 games. Many names have been thrown into the mix, such as Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, Lee Carsley, and Mauricio Pochettino. However, the possibility of hiring Guardiola has always been seen as a far-fetched dream rather than a realistic option.
One of the main reasons for this is the FA's desire to appoint a new manager before the team's upcoming fixtures in September. Guardiola's contract with Manchester City ends next summer, but there is a growing belief that he may leave the club at the end of the upcoming season. This has given the FA hope that they could potentially hire him in 2025. In the meantime, they are prepared to hire an interim manager to oversee the national team.
It is likely that the interim manager will be Lee Carsley, who is currently the manager of England's U21 team. This would also give him the opportunity to prove himself for the senior job if Guardiola becomes unavailable. Guardiola has previously expressed interest in managing at the international level and is already familiar with some of England's top players like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, John Stones, and Kyle Walker.
While Guardiola has no interest in becoming the manager of Spain due to his Catalan identity, it is also unlikely that the La Roja job will be available anytime soon after their Euro 2024 triumph. Despite the risk involved in waiting for Guardiola's availability, he is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the world and has an impressive track record, including 12 league titles, 10 domestic cups, and three Champions Leagues.
In the meantime, the odds for potential candidates for the England manager position are as follows: Eddie Howe (5/2), Graham Potter (3/1), Lee Carsley (7/2), Jurgen Klopp (17/2), Mauricio Pochettino (9/1), Thomas Tuchel (18/1), and Pep Guardiola (40/1). These odds are courtesy of Betfair. It is also worth noting that the Nations League campaign will be missed if Guardiola becomes the England manager, but the 2026 World Cup qualifying may not begin until September next year due to changes in the format.
Despite Guardiola's impressive reputation, there are concerns over hiring a foreign manager for the England team. Some, like Jamie Carragher, believe that success at the club level does not necessarily guarantee success at the international level. He argues that international managers do not have the luxury of working with their chosen players and developing a consistent playing style before a major tournament, as club managers do. He also points to the failed experiment of Fabio Capello as evidence.
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