Lee Carsley is seen as Southgate’s Three Lions successor
England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley has turned down an offer to manage the Republic of Ireland in a bid to establish himself as Gareth Southgate’s potential successor. The former Everton and Birmingham midfielder, who won 40 caps for Ireland and led the Under-21s to a vital victory at this summer’s European Championship, has been praised by the FA.
If Southgate leaves when his current contract expires later this year, he could be among the top indigenous candidates to become England manager. The Football Association of Ireland has been focused on signing Carsley since it became clear in the summer that Stephen Kenny’s side would probably not qualify for the European Championship, and launched a new bid last week.
The Irish were prepared to sign the 49-year-old to a four-and-a-half-year contract that would include both the 2026 World Cup qualifying season and the 2028 European Championship, to be held at Home Nations. A total of six matches will be held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. That’s how much they wanted that player.
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Carsley is still committed to free agency for the time being, but will likely find work in club football if his employers look elsewhere for Southgate’s successor before his contract expires in December.
However, there aren’t many other English managers available for the FA to choose from, with Steve Cooper and Graham Potter hoping to return to club regulation after being sacked by Nottingham Forest and Chelsea respectively, and Eddie Howe is committed to Newcastle.
The FAI will now have to search overseas to find managers for Ireland’s upcoming games against Belgium and Switzerland in March. Bayern Munich assistant manager Anthony Barry is one candidate.
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