Gareth Southgate and his next job in management: Rumour, reality and the road ahead
Sir Gareth Southgate is still awaiting his next foray into football management after leaving his role as England boss following their Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Southgate was promoted from manager of the Under-21s to the England senior team in September 2016 after Sam Allardyce’s resignation.
A strong interim spell saw him take charge permanently later that year, and he subsequently led the Three Lions to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, Euro 2020 final and 2022 World Cup quarter-final.
Many saw the last European Championships as his last chance to achieve silverware with his country, but Southgate’s side fell at the final hurdle once more, with a 2-1 defeat to the Spaniards in Berlin.
He left his role immediately after the tournament, but is yet to return to the dugout, with Football Insider looking at what he and England have been doing since, as well as when he could take a managerial role once again.
What has Gareth Southgate been doing since leaving the England job?
Southgate has been keeping busy in the 19 months since he resigned as England boss, working as a technical observer for UEFA in both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns.
The role entails delivering detailed reports on the latest developments in coaching, based on Champions League games, and he is joined by the likes of Roberto Martinez and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for this season.
Southgate has also written and released his third book, called ‘Dear England: Lessons in Leadership’, while he was appointed as a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School last February.
| Games managed | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win percentage |
| 102 | 61 | 24 | 17 | 59.8% |
The 55-year-old was also appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2025 New Year Honours, and knighted by Prince William at Windsor Castle in June last year for services to football.
How have England fared since his departure?
Under-21s boss Lee Carsley initially took charge of the Three Lions on an interim basis after Southgate’s departure, winning five of his six games at the helm.
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was then appointed as England’s permanent successor to Southgate, and he oversaw his first match in charge, a 2-0 win over Albania, last March.
England then went on to win their next seven World Cup qualifiers to seal their spot in this summer’s tournament, and they have lost just one of Tuchel’s 10 games in charge so far.
- Read more: Noni Madueke among three England players who’ll be delighted with Thomas Tuchel contract news
Which jobs has Southgate been linked to?
Southgate has had several chances to return to management since his England exit, with rumours ongoing around potential vacancies that he could fill.
Man United have long been linked with a swoop for the 55-year-old, whose only experience in club football management to date came during a three-year stint at Middlesbrough from 2006 to 2009.
The Red Devils recently hired Michael Carrick as interim until the end of the season after Ruben Amorim’s sacking, however, and links to Southgate have since gone cold as the 44-year-old impresses at Old Trafford.
Crystal Palace are another Premier League club that will be looking to appoint a new permanent manager in the summer, and Southgate has been linked to the post after he played 191 times for the club between 1990 and 1995.
Football Insider recently revealed that he has no immediate plans to return to management, though, and so the Eagles’ job, as well as the vacant Leicester City managerial role, are other posts that he seems unlikely to take up in the near future, despite recent rumours.