Mauricio Pochettino will be a leading candidate for the England job if he remains out of work and the post becomes available after Euro 2024.
Pochettino left Chelsea by mutual consent on Tuesday and is likely to be of interest to Manchester United if the Old Trafford club sack Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup final.
Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad are also tipped to make a check on Pochettino through the club’s sporting director Ramon Planes, who worked with the Argentine at Espanyol.
It is understood that Pochettino received a pay-off for leaving Chelsea, but it is currently unclear whether he can return straight to work at another club or in the Premier League.
The England job is one that has been attractive to Pochettino for some time and he announced his interest in succeeding Southgate during the World Cup in Qatar two years ago.
Southgate is expected to leave his post as England manager if his team do not win the Euros in Germany this summer.
Asked in an interview with The Athletic in 2022 whether he would be interested in managing England, Pochettino said: “Of course, my relationship with England has always been very good. We have a very good relationship with the academies, trying to develop young players for the national team.
“I feel so comfortable here. You never know what happens. I am open to everything.”
Track record of developing England players
Pochettino is well-known to Football Association technical director John McDermott, who would be influential in choosing any successor to Southgate, having worked closely with him at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 52-year-old has an impressive track record of developing English players who have graduated to the senior national team under him, the latest being Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer.
Asked this season whether he is proud of his record of providing players for the England team, Pochettino said: “Always, when I arrived at Southampton we were really proud to provide players to the national team because we are so grateful to English football because of the way you have received us, the welcome.
“How welcome you make us feel from another country, I think you all try to respect the identity of the countries, the culture and identities of football and English football through the players.
“We love the English culture and in every single club, like in Southampton, then Tottenham. We are grateful through giving the possibility for the England team to have players that get the possibility to play.”
Asked why he felt such a connection with English football and the national team, having played for Argentina, Pochettino said: “We care, we are very respectful with the way that you treat us. I am Italian through my great grandfather. He moved to Argentina, then I moved to Spain and then France and then England. And you really understand when you start to move countries how people treat you.
“Sometimes not in a good way when you are foreign people. But when we were at Southampton, Tottenham and now here [Chelsea], the English people treat us well. It is an amazing thing. Not just us, our families too. It is why I feel at home when I am in England.”
Pochettino is not the only foreign manager who would be interested in succeeding Southgate, as another former Chelsea coach, Thomas Tuchel, would also be attracted to the job.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
