Graham Potter has joined a growing list of managers, including Eddie Howe, who haven’t been interviewed by the Football Association (FA) for the England head coach job.
On Wednesday, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham shared that, along with technical director John McDermott, they had interviewed “around 10 coaches,” including some English candidates, before appointing Thomas Tuchel. However, it seems that at least seven of the top home-grown coaches weren’t approached for an interview.
On Friday, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti also confirmed that he hadn’t been contacted for the role. Sources close to Potter revealed that he, too, wasn’t considered.
Mail Sport reported earlier that Eddie Howe, seen by many as one of the best English options, also didn’t get an interview—something the Newcastle boss confirmed on Friday. When asked about it, Howe said, “I wasn’t contacted by the FA. England has to do what’s right for them, and only they know what their process was. As for me, I’m fully focused on Newcastle. If you lose focus in this job, it becomes impossible.”
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Other British coaches like Sean Dyche, Frank Lampard, Gary O’Neil, Steve Cooper, and Russell Martin are also on the list of those not interviewed.
When asked if he was a candidate, Ancelotti responded, “No, I never heard from the English national team. But they’ve picked a great coach. He’s very strong tactically, and his career speaks for itself. I wish him all the best.”
There were also reports earlier this week that Pep Guardiola had been approached for the position over the summer. However, the Manchester City boss chose not to comment on the matter when asked on Friday.
While it’s likely that some managers or their representatives were briefly contacted during the search, the fact that so many qualified candidates weren’t interviewed has raised some questions about the FA’s recruitment process. Everton manager Sean Dyche even commented, saying, “They mentioned interviewing around 10 coaches. I’m not sure how you can be ‘approximately’ at 10—it’s either 10 or it’s not! I’d imagine some English or British coaches were among them, but I certainly wasn’t, not that I expected to be.”
