Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly in the mix to succeed Gareth Southaget as the England manager, which would serve as his follow-up act after ending his one year spell at Chelsea on Tuesday.
The Argentine will be considered a leading candidate for the job if he is still out of work after the Euros, per the Telegraph. England are expected to move on from Southgate if they do not win the continental championship this summer after eight years in the job, during which he led the Three Lions to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of the pandemic-delayed Euros in 2021. Southgate has already been linked to the Manchester United gig, which will likely open up after Erik ten Hag finishes out the season with Saturday's FA Cup final.
This would mark Pochettino's first time as a national team manager should it happen, but he's a familiar face in English soccer after his time with Chelsea and his previous five year spell at Tottenham Hotspur. He has coached five players on England's provisional roster for the Euros, including captain Harry Kane and rising talent Cole Palmer, and worked with the FA's technical director John McDermott when they were both at Spurs.
Southgate inherited a national team with a recent reputation of underperforming and off-field chaos in 2016, including the scandal that directly led to his hire. His predecessor, Sam Allardyce, was booted from his dream job after just one game in charge following an undercover investigation by The Telegraph, which showed him accepting £400,000 to represent a firm that was trying to profit off of Premier League transfers.
He steadied the ship, building a team that offered little in terms of off-field distraction and was able to compete at the highest levels of the game. Southgate, though, has yet to end England's 50-plus year wait for a trophy since lifting the 1966 World Cup on home soil.
Pochettino would be the first foreign manager of the national team since Fabio Capello led the team from 2006 to 2012, whose spell in charge also ended in dramatic fashion. The Italian quit upon discovering that the FA removed John Terry as the team's captain after he was charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match.
He might not be the only foreign manager in the mix, either -- The Telegraph reports that Thomas Tuchel would be interested in the role. The German has unofficially been on the market since February, when Bayern Munich announced he would leave at the end of the season.
Pochettino's in demand
Pochettino is slowly emerging as the most in-demand manager on the market, especially after he led Chelsea to an encouraging sixth place finish in the Premier League. There's no shortage of jobs available to him, but this link to England is the first real report on Pochettino's potential landing spot after his stint at Stamford Bridge.
Many expect him to be in the mix for the United job should that one open up, though that role comes with its own challenges. New minority investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to make a high-profile acquisition by replacing ten Hag, whose successor will eventually be tasked with correcting course after an eighth place finish.
The former Chelsea manager is also reportedly wanted by Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad since the club's sporting director, Ramon Planes, worked with him at Espanyol. It's unclear whether or not Pochettino would be interested in a move outside of Europe at this time.
