Eddie Howe is favourite for the England job after his Newcastle power play, but analysis shows there is a better suited - albeit shock - candidate to succeed Gareth Southgate

Roll up, roll up, applications are now open. 

On Friday, the FA quietly dropped its latest job post on the careers section of its website entitled: England Men’s Senior Team Head Coach.

You will need a UEFA Pro Licence and have, to quote from the application itself, significant experience of English football with a strong track record of delivering results in the Premier League and/or leading international competitions.

As it happens, it appears that the FA already have some candidates in mind. Lee Carsley, the England Under 21 boss; Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Eddie Howe, who already appears to be using the interest as a power play to get his own way at Newcastle.

So, who will it be? Mail Sport assesses the leading contenders.

Experience

HOWE: Took Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League either side of a brief stint at Burnley before his move to Newcastle to lead the Saudi revolution, where he’s enjoyed his first taste of the Champions League. 7/10

CARSLEY: Learned his craft as a youth coach with Coventry, Brentford, Birmingham and Man City. No real first-team experience other than a few caretaker roles but has seen his reputation soar in charge of England Under 21s, leading them to their first European Championship since 1984.7/10

POCHETTINO: Far greater big-club experience than all the other candidates, having taken charge of Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea after stints at Espanyol and Southampton. Knows what it’s like to play international football, too, with 20 caps for Argentina. 8/10

POTTER: His coaching journey started at the bottom. From the ninth tier in English football with Leeds Metropolitan University to Chelsea in the Premier League. Led small Swedish side Ostersund to three promotions and into the Europa League as well as a short stint at Swansea before working minor miracles at Brighton. 6/10

Record

HOWE: No major trophy but Howe has undeniably enjoyed success with the resources he’s had. Three promotions at Bournemouth and turned a relegation-threatened Newcastle into a Champions League team who beat PSG 4-1 last season. Saudi riches help, of course, and it will be interesting to see how he’ll fare as the financial purse strings tighten. 7/10

CARSLEY: You can’t compare his senior record with his fellow contenders but he can boast something Southgate can’t. He’s brought England silverware. The Young Lions didn’t concede a goal throughout last year’s tournament. En route to Under 21 glory, his side beat Germany and Portugal, and even beat Spain in a final.8/10

POCHETTINO: A bit like Southgate, Pochettino gets beaten with a stick with the words ‘Yeah, but what have you actually won?’ scrawled on the side. I mean, he’s won the French league with PSG but everyone wins the French league with PSG. He’s lost two League Cup finals and a Champions League final. 

In truth, Pochettino’s record is more than trophies. He develops players and shapes clubs. He even managed to turn Chelsea around before his untimely departure. However, only once in the history of the World Cup and Euros has the coach of the winning team not been from that country, when German Otto Rehhagel led Greece to the Euros in 2004. 8/10

POTTER: Again, a bare trophy cabinet. Potter’s success has always been more in his ability to develop players and get them to play in an attractive way that sees them punch above their weight. England punched above their weight in 2018 under Southgate. They are a heavyweight now and need someone to land a knockout blow. 6/10

Man-Management

HOWE: Players love to work for Howe but Anthony Gordon admitted that after joining Newcastle from Everton it took him six months to understand how he was supposed to play. Howe’s comments on Friday about Newcastle stank of politics, a world away from the statesmanlike behaviour we’re used to from Southgate. 6/10

CARSLEY: Carsley knows how to get the best out of attacking young talent. He had Cole Palmer in his Euros side alongside the likes of Gordon, Levi Colwill and Harvey Elliott. ‘This might be the best footballing team I’ve played in, in terms of how we play and the combination play around the box,’ said Gordon. ‘It’s really at an elite level. For me, that’s down to Lee.’ 9/10

POCHETTINO: England super sub Cole Palmer praised Pochettino for his skills at Chelsea, saying ‘he’s great at making you feel good’ and takes interest in any family issues. 

At Tottenham, he was key to unlocking the potential of Harry Kane. He knows how to get the best out of him, something at which Southgate failed miserably at Euro 2024. 9/10

POTTER: Another manager who is renowned for connecting with the human side of his players. You’d hope so, too, having studied for a master’s degree in leadership and emotional management — even if he did once make his players perform a modern dance set to Swan Lake. 

The question at Chelsea, though, was whether he was strong enough to deal with the big players and their egos. It’s one thing to manage Pascal Gross, it’s another to handle Jude Bellingham. 6/10