If Gareth Southgate does leave his job as England manager, who should replace him? Mail Sport experts assess the four leading candidates

Four men will battle it out for top spot on the English Football Association’s wish list as Gareth Southgate ends his eight-year tenure as England manager.

After the Three Lions’ painful defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 in Berlin, the position of head coach has become uncertain.

Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Eddie Howe and Lee Carsley represent a wide range of coaching backgrounds, experience and skills.

But who should be given the title of England’s sixteenth permanent national coach?

Here our experts explain what each candidate brings to the role.

Graham Potter (even)

By IAN LADYMAN

The former Brighton boss is not much different from Southgate in the way he conducts himself and views the world.

He is a smart, erudite man who can see the bigger picture and would represent English football in the best possible way. He is also a better coach than Southgate.

Potter has modern ideas, is flexible and likes to play possession football, which would suit an English team with a huge amount of talent.

Potter’s work at Brighton was incredible, transforming the way his team played in the space of a season.

And Chelsea? I think he gets a pass. They’re just unmanageable.

What Potter is against is the fact that he has not worked for over a year now. I think he needs to work at a club again to show that he is ready for England. He is an England manager for the future, but maybe not this time.

Eddie Howe (3-1)

By CRAIG HOPE

Eddie Howe should be the FA’s No.1 choice. He has all the human qualities of Southgate – he is genuine, intelligent and a great man-manager – and conducts himself with dignity and composure. He is also averse to controversy.

But coupled with that are his coaching credentials and dedication to attacking football. If England fans want a style they can embrace, Howe’s philosophy is likely to deliver. Just ask Newcastle supporters if they’ve enjoyed watching his team since he arrived in 2021.

Howe is also pragmatic when needed, as evidenced by his team avoiding relegation in his first season. He is said to be an upgrade on Southgate in terms of tactics and ability to coach specific patterns of play.

No English manager has finished higher in the Premier League than he has in the last two seasons. He is the latest Englishman to manage a Champions League team.

He has improved as a manager during his time on Tyneside and his stock continues to rise. He is the outstanding candidate.

Lee Carsley (4-1)

By JACK GAUGHAN

Watching this England team play at the European Championship, where their minor shortcomings escalated into much bigger structural problems, reminded me of a month I spent in Georgia around this time last year.

The Under-21s won their first European Championship since 1984, beating Spain in the final. They went six games without conceding a single goal. And no English team has ever played such a comprehensive yet coherent, modern football in a way that the best in the Premier League produce.

Carsley, the man behind that triumph — a seven-year veteran of the FA system who recently turned down the Republic of Ireland, among other things — has flown somewhat under the radar. He has also distanced himself from senior management in the past. But the 50-year-old now looks set for a step up, wherever that may be.

He is a popular figure. Ask any Under-21 player about Carsley and the first words are always the same: ‘Top coach.’

Mauricio Pochettino (6-1)

By SAMI MOKBEL

We can safely assume that Captain Harry Kane is fully behind it!

Kane and Pochettino grew closer during their time at Tottenham, and under the Argentine’s guidance, Kane emerged as a true European powerhouse.

The former Chelsea manager is a friendly man who wants to continue the culture of inclusivity that Southgate so expertly fostered. The type of manager who would make his players run through brick walls for him.

But there is clearly an elephant in the room here: his nationality. Imagine the first question at his unveiling: Diego Maradona, 1986, the Hand of God. The FA may decide they don’t need the red tape.

Pochettino is someone who knows English football inside out. He has experience working with elite players: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and of course Kane.

But while that shouldn’t be the case, his nationality – and England’s troubled history with his homeland – would pose a problem.