Mauricio Pochettino 'one of the candidates' to replace Gareth Southgate as England coach

The Argentine left Chelsea by mutual consent

According to reports, Mauricio Pochettino is among the front-runners to succeed Gareth Southgate as England manager should the role open up following the forthcoming European Championship.

Chelsea shockingly announced on Tuesday that the Argentinean has resigned as manager, saying that all parties had “mutually agreed” to end their association.

On the other hand, Southgate has just named his preliminary 33-man England squad, which will eventually be whittled down to just 26 players, and is already hard at work getting his team ready for the UEFA competition in Germany.

According to the Telegraph, the FA wants Southgate, who has been in charge of England since 2016, to continue his work with the national team, but they have identified Pochettino as a possible replacement should he choose to step down.

Pochettino has a track record of grooming young English players during his tenures at Southampton, Tottenham, and Chelsea. He also has a working relationship with John McDermott, the technical director of the FA, from his time at Spurs.

Conor Gallagher, Cole Palmer, and England skipper Harry Kane are just a few of the elite players on Pochettino’s most recent Premier League team.

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Commenting on his desire to become England boss two-years ago, Pochettino told the Athletic: ‘Of course, my relationship with England has always been very good. 

‘We have a very good relationship with the academies, trying to develop young players for the national team. ‘I feel so comfortable here. You never know what happens. I am open to everything.’

The 52-year-old has already stated his desire to lead England in the future, but Manchester United is reportedly considering him as they consider whether to fire Erik ten Hag.

The news that Pochettino was departing Stamford Bridge after just one season shocked Chelsea players, who see him as one of the top man-managers in European football.

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