Gareth Southgate LIVE: Reaction after England manager resigns following Euro 2024 final heartbreak

The 53-year-old oversaw 102 matches, winning 61 and losing just 17 during his time in charge, becoming the first manager to lead England’s men to two major tournament finals.

Graham Potter, Eddie Howe and Jurgen Klopp are among those at the top of the bookmakers’ list of potential Gareth Southgate replacements:

The Football Association will prioritise a coach attuned to English football culture over nationality after Gareth Southgate stepped down as manager. The 53-year-old took a quick decision after a few days’ reflection and talks with senior executives, with the association starting the search for a new boss.

Eddie Howe, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and under-21 manager Lee Carsley are among those currently at the top of the list. Jurgen Klopp would be a consideration, but is not currently interested in returning to the game, having flatly refused an offer from the United States.

Gareth Southgate’s departure statement in full can be read below as he brings his England tenure to an end after eight years in charge:

Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the FA, has confirmed that work to appoint a successor to Gareth Southgate is already underway, with an “interim solution” also a possibility.

“On behalf of English football, I would like to pay tribute to Gareth Southgate and to Steve Holland for everything they have achieved,” Bullingham said. “Over the last eight years they have transformed the England men’s team, delivering unforgettable memories for everyone who loves the Three Lions.

“We look back at Gareth’s tenure with huge pride – his contribution to the English game, including a significant role in player development, and in culturetransformation has been unique.

“The process for appointing Gareth’s successor is now under way and we aim to have our new manager confirmed as soon as possible. Our UEFA Nations League campaign starts in September, and we have an interim solution in place if it is needed.”

“I could not have had anyone better alongside me than Steve Holland,” Southgate says of his long-time lieutenant. “He is one of the most talented coaches of his generation, and has been immense.

“I have had the privilege of leading a large group of players in 102 games. Every one of them has been proud to wear the three lions on their shirts, and they have been a credit to their country in so many ways.

“The squad we took to Germany is full of exciting young talent and they can win the trophy we all dream of. I am so proud of them, and I hope we get behind the players and the team at St. George’s Park and the FA who strive every day to improve English football, and understand the power football has to drive positive change.”

Gareth Southgate has released a statement confirming that he will be stepping away, declaring it “time for change and a new chapter.

“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England,” Southgate said. “It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all.

But it’s time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager

“I joined the FA in 2011, determined to improve English football. In that time, including eight years as England men’s manager, I have been supported by some brilliant people who have my heartfelt thanks.”

Gareth Southgate’s future is in the balance, and it remains unclear whether he will decide to stay in charge of the national side following the defeat.

The Football Association will prioritise a coach attuned to English football culture over nationality, if Gareth Southgate does decide to leave his job. The 53-year-old is seeking to make a quick conclusion after a few days’ reflection and talks with senior executives, but the association have naturally started to put a plan in place, given the prospect was likely before the Euro 2024 final.

Eddie Howe, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and under-21 manager Lee Carsley are among those currently at the top of the list. Jurgen Klopp would be a consideration, but is not currently interested in returning to the game, having flatly refused an offer from the United States.

The names illustrate how the FA are willing to take a different approach to previous searches, and almost a middle way between an English manager and the biggest names possible. Given how crucial Southgate was to transforming the culture around the national team, the FA would want any candidate to continue that work. That would inevitably involve an appreciation of the nuances around England, which Pochettino naturally has given that his Tottenham Hotspur provided the nucleus of Southgate’s first tournament squad, for the 2018 World Cup.

An unprecedented era of dominance, the greatest men’s international side of the modern age. Back-to-back-to-back winners of major tournaments. The Spain side of 2008-2012 gave football a new way of looking at the uppermost elite reaches of the game, and gave all sides to come after them a lot to live up to.

The fall that followed, though, was swift, dramatic and prolonged: Spain won just one match at each of their next three World Cups following victory in 2010 and haven’t been past the round of 16 since then.

After retaining the European Championship in 2012, they won only two games in 2016 and the same number in 2021. A long time in the relative wilderness, even if the latter tournament saw them sneak through to the last four.