Inside England's ambitious plan to land Pep Guardiola as Gareth Southgate's replacement

England football chiefs are mulling over the possibility of naming an interim boss to replace Gareth Southgate as part of an ambitious plan to lure Pep Guardiola into international management.

The Three Lions lost out to Spain in the Euro 2024 final with boss Southgate stepping down from his role following the defeat in Berlin. Manchester City boss Guardiola stands out as a prospective candidate for the position if he chooses to depart from the team when his contract runs out in 2025. Guardiola is poised to enter into his ninth season at the helm of the EPL champions with his current contract set to end after the subsequent campaign. City are eager to retain him beyond that term; however, The Independent claims the FA is keen on having the superstar manager succeed Southgate.

The same publication hints there's speculation among City's hierarchy about Guardiola possibly vacating his post come next summer, and the FA might play the waiting game as they regard him as an exceptional prospect. Guardiola himself has previously expressed his interest in national team management. Earlier in the year, in a conversation with ESPN, Guardiola confessed: "A national team. I would like to train a national team for a World Cup or a European Championship. I would like that.", reports the Mirror.

"I would like to have the experience of living through a World Cup, or a Euro or a Copa America, or whatever it is. I would like that. I don't know when that would be, if that is five, 10, 15 years from now but I would like to have the experience of being a manager in a World Cup."

It's been suggested that the FA wouldn't hesitate to appoint an interim manager while they await Guardiola's availability after his tenure at Manchester City, with