Southgate on England past and his future.
Gareth Southgate has set up a podcast stable, and the first one involves me and Christian Purslow ex Liverpool, Chelsea and Villa ceo. We got a few episodes under our belts, slim belt in Christian’s case, more Mr Creosote in mine, before getting Southgate on. So here he is… opening up on England and the future. Hope you enjoy it, Henry.
Great episode, ‘H.’ Southgate is the perfect candidate for a role that doesn't exist in modern European football, more akin to an NFL General Manager. I’m consistently surprised by how maligned he’s been post-England; while the silverware didn't materialize, he elevated the team and built the platform for Tuchel to go on and win a trophy.
I actually viewed Southgate as a strong candidate for Manchester United post Ten Hag. It’s a model we’ve seen succeed before, with Sir Alex Ferguson operating as an 'umbrella manager'—not to be confused with a 'brolly manager' (sorry, Steve McClaren.)
If Southgate was supported by an elite coaching staff he would be a fascinating hire for a club like Spurs. Impressed by his self-awareness regarding why he’s seen as a 'complicated' hire.