The FA has ploughed millions into St George’s Park, with one of the stated aims for it to become an “inspirational centre for coach education, raising standards in coaching and elevating it as a profession”. Still no English coach has won the Premier League.
No English coach was appointed into any of the five top-flight vacancies that existed this summer, although Leicester’s Wales-born manager Steve Cooper did win the World Cup as England Under-17 coach in 2017. Eddie Howe has been the highest-placed English coach for the past two seasons with Newcastle finishing fourth in 2022-23 and seventh last term.
If Southgate is to leave, should the replacement be English – and also keep a keen eye on the development teams as Southgate has done – or someone from overseas, who is only interested in the senior team, as Fabio Capello and Sven-Goran Eriksson did?
As Southgate can testify, the job is one of the most scrutinised in world football, so is top level experience – as a player, or manager, or both – essential?
These are the issues the FA must wrestle with as Southgate makes up his mind. As ever, getting rid of a coach is the easy bit. Sorting out a replacement is far more difficult.
Source Agencies
