Gareth Southgate has reportedly told the Football Association (FA) to park talks regarding his future until after Euro 2024.
England, who will go into the tournament as favourites, crashed out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after losing 2-1 to eventual runners-up France.
With huge expectations on Southgate‘s shoulders once again this summer, the former Middlesbrough boss is out of contract later this year and rumours as to who will replace him have already started to intensify.
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According to reports from The Mirror, FA chiefs are ready to give Southgate a new deal to take him up until the 2026 World Cup, with his current £2.5million-a-year contract due to expire in December.
With Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Eddie Howe just some of the names mentioned as potential replacements, the 53-year-old is relaxed about the situation and remains confident in his side’s undoubted abilities.
“I’m completely relaxed about that and I have no idea where we’ll be in the middle of July, other than I hope it’s Trafalgar Square and let’s get the party on. Four lions!” said England boss Southgate earlier this week.
“I think we would have to sit and think about that at the end of the tournament. I’m happy to talk about it briefly now, but I’m not going to talk about it the whole summer, what’s next.
“We’ve consciously shelved any discussions internally about what might be next, because I think if we had sat and signed a new contract and done that before the tournament, everybody would have said: ‘Well, you did this with Fabio Capello and you should be proving yourself before you sign.’
“I think it has the potential to negatively affect the reaction to the team. The team needs the clearest run they can possibly have at this tournament, so my job is to remove pressure from the team where possible.
“We’ve got to accept some pressure because we’re one of the favourites. But, equally, I don’t want to put anything additional onto the team.”
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