Sources: England’s top choice to replace Gareth Southgate revealed as FA begin manager hunt

Gareth Southgate has officially stepped down as England manager following the Three Lions’ defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final and now the hunt for his successor has begun.

Southgate leaves his role as the most successful England manager of all time in terms of consistent major tournament performance.

He has led the team to two European Championship finals and a quarter-final and semi-final in the World Cup but ultimately fell short of clinching a major honour.

“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England,” Southgate said.

“It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all. But it’s time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager.”

Speculation is rife about who Southgate’s successor will be and sources have revealed to TEAMtalk’s Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is the Football Association’s preferred choice.

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We can reveal that the former Bournemouth boss would be open to leaving St James’ Park to take on the new challenge.

The people who hired Howe at Newcastle have left the club and sources say the 46-year-old coach views the England job as a dream opportunity.

Three main candidates emerge for England job

A report from The Guardian has backed up our information and name Howe, along with former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter and another ex-Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, as the three leading candidates to replace Southgate.

They are ‘near the top of the Football Associations shortlist’ and all of them would be ‘open to taking over.’

A potential complication of appointing Howe, however, is whether the FA can afford him. Southgate earned an annual £5m, which would be on the lower end of Premier League manager salaries.

The FA would also have to pay Newcastle a buyout fee of around £5m to release Howe from his contract at St James’ Park.

Potter and Tuchel, on the other hand, are currently out of a job and therefore would be cheaper appointments for England.

Sources have also informed TEAMtalk that Lee Carsley is ‘in with a shout’ of the top job after doing an impressive job as head coach of England under-21s.

He led the young Three Lions to winning the under-21 European Championships last year and has plenty of admirers among the FA’s decision-makers.

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