Next England Manager: 10 Best Candidates To Replace Sam Allardyce

Former England defender Gareth Southgate will hold the fort until Big Sam’s full-time successor is announced, though he’ll remain a heavy favourite himself throughout the process. He’s occupied a number of roles within the national team’s hierarchy since 2013, when he was appointed manager of England U21’s, and he spent much of Euro 2016 composing technical reports for Uefa.

Having worked as part of the English national team’s system for three years, no other candidate can match Southgate’s familiarity with the job. The current England squad features a number of players that have previously featured for his U21 and U20 sides, though he’s found mixed success in his role. Southgate’s U21’s failed to make it out their group at the 2015 European Championships, though he did lead them to their first Toulon title since 1994 this summer.

Southgate is very highly thought-of among FA officials, and he’s made no secret of his desire to manage England in the future. Sam’s dismissal may have come just a little too early for him, however, and with his unsuccessful Middlesbrough spell still his only experience of top-level management, he doesn’t have the resumé. Regardless, no other candidate can match Southgate’s time spent in the current setup, making him a more enticing prospect than most of his countrymen.