After 102 games and four international tournaments in charge, Gareth Southgate has officially left his post as England manager.
The news comes after Southgate’s Three Lions lost their second consecutive European Championships final this past weekend – losing 2-1 to a very impressive Spain outfit in Berlin.
So, after resigning from the role he held for eight years, what’s next for Southgate?
We’ve taken a look at his potential next destinations, and ranked them by suitability.
WATCH REACTION TO SOUTHGATE’S RESIGNATION
90min’s studio team give their thoughts on Gareth Southgate’s decision to resign from his role as England manager. If you can’t see the embed, click here to watch!
A return to the club where his managerial career began in order to drag them back up to the Premier League?
It would be fairytale stuff for sure.
Whether or not it’ll actually happen, is another matter entirely.
Southgate’s re-appointment at Middlesbrough – where he spent the first three years of his managerial career – would depend on two factors:
1) Highly-rated current boss Michael Carrick finally leaving for a Premier League job.
2) Southgate being happy to drop down to Championship football after successfully managing England.
While the former seems possible, counting on the latter is likely a misstep. Southgate will, and should, be holding out for a top level job after managing the Three Lions.
Possibility rating: 1/10
Look, let’s call a spade a spade:
Considering how trigger-happy Todd Boehly has been since buying Chelsea, we wouldn’t be surprised if Enzo Maresca doesn’t make it to Halloween in charge of the Blues.
That’s not a slight on his managerial abilities at all, it’s just how Chelsea have functioned in recent years.
With that in mind, and with Southgate potentially still being a free agent in Autumn, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if Boehly turned to the ex-England manager if Maresca does get the boot.
You’d guess that Chelsea are the calibre of club that Southgate ultimately wants to manage after his time in charge of the Three Lions.
Possibility rating: 5/10
Sticking with north eastern teams, another potential destination could be nouveau riche Newcastle United.
The Magpies have spent heavily since the Saudi Arabian takeover at St. James’ Park, with the large bulk of their business having a distinctly British feel about it – forking out for Harvey Barnes, Nick Pope, and Anthony Gordon to name a few.
That Britishness is also seen in their choice of manager, as it’s been Eddie Howe who has successfully guided Newcastle back to European football after decades in the doldrums.
With Howe now being a top candidate to replace Southgate as England manager however, change could soon be afoot at Newcastle.
If he were to leave, and if Newcastle wanted to bring in another English manager to replace Howe, Southgate would be a marquee name they could do that with.
Possibility rating: 6/10
Prior to the shock FA Cup final win over rivals Manchester City, it seemed like Manchester United were readying a move to appoint Southgate as their new manager.
Southgate was heavily linked with the United job back in the Spring, thanks in large part to having previously worked with INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford and United’s new sporting director Dan Ashworth.
After the FA Cup triumph, INEOS ultimately opted to hand Erik ten Hag a new deal to stay on as United manager, however if things go pear-shaped again in the near future it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Southgate rock up at Old Trafford.
A similar ‘steadying of the ship’ style job that he accomplished with England is certainly needed at Man Utd after all…
Possibility rating: 7/10
If Southgate is keen to jump straight back into top level international management, then there’s not better job for him than the United States post.
With the USMNT recently dismissing Gregg Berhalter after yet another disastrous international competition campaign – the Copa America this time round – the north American giants are on the lookout for a new manager.
Considering his pedigree at international tournaments and ability to deal with the pressure of managing a huge national team, appointing Southgate as Berhalter’s replacement would make a whole lot of sense.
Possibility rating: 8/10
Having worked for the Football Association for the majority of the last 13 years, and enjoyed success in a number of different roles, it would make a lot of sense for the FA to offer Southgate a new position higher up within the organisation.
Although the Men’s Technical Director role is currently taken – a post that perhaps would best suit Southgate – the FA could surely work out a new role for the now legendary Three Lions boss within the leadership group.
After what he’s done for the nation’s senior team, he deserves it.
Possibility rating: 9/10