Regardless of how England’s European Championship campaign ends, or even the team’s showing at next year’s World Cup, Gareth Southgate will be staying in the coach’s job for years to come.
If the England team leadership has its way, at least.
Southgate is rated so highly that the Football Association already wants to extend his contract beyond 2022.
“He knows that we think he’s doing a great job,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said at England’s St George’s Park training center. “We would love him to carry on, for sure, beyond this contract.”
For now, the priority is England’s match against Germany on Tuesday in the round of 16 at Euro 2020. But the expectation is Southgate will still be in charge for Euro 2024.
“Our support is unwavering … we are 100% behind Gareth,” Bullingham said. “We’ll get into that formal (contract) conversation after this tournament. But if you ask me now I’d say yes we’d like him to carry on.”
Southgate has restored the reputation of the England national team from the lows of a humiliating Euro 2016 exit against Iceland in the round of 16.
By 2018, Southgate had led England’s men to the World Cup semifinals for the first time in 28 years. He impressed with the leadership he shown as a figurehead for the English game.