England Begins Planning For Future Beyond Gareth Southgate Amid Euro 2024
England's Football Association (FA) is preparing for the future beyond Gareth Southgate, though no decisions have been made regarding his tenure. FA executive Mark Bullingham clarified that no approach has been made to replace Southgate, whose contract expires in December. This comes after Southgate hinted in an interview with German media outlet BILD that Euro 2024 might be his final tournament with England.
Manchester United had reportedly shown interest in the 53-year-old manager before reaffirming their commitment to Erik ten Hag. As the European Championship looms, Bullingham sought to alleviate concerns about Southgate's future, emphasizing that the FA has a succession plan in place.
"Gareth has been really clear that he wants to discuss his future after the tournament," Bullingham stated. "I don't want to provide any distraction for him and the team. Any organisation has a succession plan for their top employees, and we are no different."
Bullingham explained that a succession plan includes short-term cover and a process for identifying potential candidates. "We have that for all our top employees. They're here because we believe in them," he added.
Bullingham assured that Southgate's future would not hinge solely on Euro 2024 results. "The team could go further but play poorly or have an unlucky result," he said. "Setting an arbitrary figure isn't the right way to go. We step back and look at everything after the tournament."
He praised Southgate's achievements, highlighting his role in guiding England to the Euro 2020 final and World Cup semi-finals in 2018. "I think the world of Gareth; he has done a phenomenal job," Bullingham remarked. "Since 1966, he has won about half of our knockout games, which is a measure we really use."
Future Prospects
Should Southgate depart, Bullingham remains open to appointing another homegrown talent. "We have two senior coaches," he noted. "One of them is English, and one of them [England women's boss Sarina Wiegman] is not. Any federation would want a pool of top homegrown talent playing and managing at any time."
Southgate's inclusion of Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney in the Euro 2024 squad has also drawn attention, as seen in a recent tweet from the official England account.
Gareth Southgate on the inclusion of Ollie Watkins and @ivantoney24 in his #EURO2024 squad... pic.twitter.com/BAwmA4DjRS
— England (@England) June 7, 2024
The FA's approach reflects a balanced view on leadership continuity while acknowledging the contributions of its current manager. As Euro 2024 approaches, all eyes will be on Southgate and his squad's performance.
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