Gareth Southgate: Should England manager quit after 2-1 defeat to France in World Cup quarter-finals?

Gareth Southgate is considering leaving his job as England manager after his side were knocked out of the World Cup by France on Saturday - but will he quit, and should he? Sky Sports News reporters Kaveh Solhekol and Rob Dorsett provide the lowdown...

The FA and England players want Southgate to stay until at least the European Championships in Germany in 2024. Last year, Southgate signed a two-year contract extension which expires after Euro 2024.

Southgate led England to a first World Cup semi-final in 28 years in Russia in 2018, going out in extra-time to Croatia, before a Euro 2020 final defeat on penalties to Italy in the summer of 2021.

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Speaking after England's quarter-final exit, Southgate said: "These tournaments take a lot out of you, and I need time to reflect. We've done that after every tournament and that's the right thing to do."

He added: "I don't want to be four, five months down the line thinking I've made the wrong call. It's too important for everybody to get that wrong."

So, what are the factors in any decision the England manager makes, and what are his options?

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Solhekol: Best since Sir Alf Ramsey... but on hiding to nothing

"Gareth Southgate has made the impossible job possible and he could leave with his head held up high if he were to quit as England manager now.

"Southgate may have unfinished business as England manager but he also has unfinished business at club level.

"He wants to prove he is good enough to manage a top Champions League club and now would be the perfect time to back himself to get that opportunity.

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"The only reason to stay as England manager is if he truly believes this group of players are good enough to become European champions in 18 months. You rarely get an opportunity to leave a job in football on your own terms and this is as good as it could get for Southgate.

"He is on a hiding to nothing if he stays and England fail to win Euro 2024 and recent history suggests that, even if England have an impressive tournament, they are unlikely to outplay Europe's top sides in Germany.

"Despite that and what the doubters may say, Southgate has been England's best manager since Sir Alf Ramsey. He may have not won a trophy but his record at three successive major tournaments speaks for itself.

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"Winning a trophy is not the only measure of success and it is undeniable that Southgate has transformed England's fortunes since he replaced Sam Allardyce in 2016.

"Being the England manager, though, takes its toll and the nature of the job means you are always at the eye of the storm or the next storm. What you say is almost guaranteed to be front-page news and you are expected to have an opinion on everything and anything - not just football.

"By going back to club management, Southgate can focus on doing what he loves most - working with players every day and developing young talent.

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"There would be meaningful matches every few days instead of every few years.

"Southgate is held in such high regard by the FA that they will give him the time to decide what he wants to do next. If he decides to leave, he deserves a well-earned rest and some time off to recharge his batteries.

"What he has done for England and English football means he will get plenty of job offers - at club and international level."

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Dorsett: Could Southgate live with regret if he quits?

"If Gareth Southgate walks away from England now, it might be a decision he regrets for the rest of his career.

"It has been evident for some time that the England boss is tiring of being made the spokesperson for the Football Association and that he has ambitions in top level club management.

"I understand the mental exhaustion he is feeling - it was obvious when he spoke of the Euro 2020 final defeat and the shocking crowd trouble outside Wembley; when he was booed by England fans at Molineux after the 4-0 defeat to Hungary six months ago; when he was repeatedly called to answer questions on the human rights issues in Qatar.

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"But if Southgate left now, how would he feel if this exceptional crop of young players - a group he has nurtured and motivated - went on to lift the European Championship trophy in 18 months time?

"Because of the unique timing of the Qatar World Cup, it is a short turnaround until the Euro finals. And England's next and most difficult game in trying to qualify for the tournament is just three months away - against Italy in Naples.

"Southgate doesn't have to put off his club aspirations for long, to still give himself that chance of ending England's trophy hoodoo. After the Euros in Germany, he will be 53. Still young, from a manger's perspective.

"He is a very proud Englishman, who wore the England shirt with passion as a player and now belts out the national anthem with gusto ahead of every match.

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"Nothing, I am certain, would make him happier than guiding England to a major trophy.

"The England players love being around, and playing for, Southgate. He has created a unique atmosphere at training camps and tournaments, where there is a mood of positivity and belief. That is not easily replicated.

"And the manager and players are growing with every tournament - in experience and expectation. Southgate knows, amid his bitter disappointment in leaving Qatar early, that this group is closer than ever to winning something. For the first time in more than half a century.

"The emergence of Jude Bellingham as a star on the world stage has excited Southgate. He has changed the England dynamic. He is just 19.

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"Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben White, Reece James (when he returns) - all are under 25, probably with their best international years ahead of them.

"Having put all the leg work in, would he be happy for someone else to come in, take advantage of all that he has created, and take the glory at the last?

"Furthermore, it is far from certain that he would be offered a top Premier League job. There will be plenty of club bosses who will have been impressed with the way he operates. He would undoubtedly be an outstanding ambassador for any club, who the players would love to play for.

"But international management is very different from club management, and it is 13 years since he was last in charge of a club, when he was sacked by Middlesbrough.

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"Would Premier League clubs feel he has been institutionalised whilst at the FA? Would they be convinced he is suited to a job which has obvious day-to-day demands?

"He says he is emotionally exhausted by the England job, so would there be question marks over how he'd cope with, for example, a bad run of club results - like the spell leading into this World Cup where England went without a win in six matches? That poor stretch was over four months. Not four weeks.

"He has ultimate power, and is adored by everyone, at the FA. His bosses are desperate for him to stay. They don't have an obvious replacement who can do what he has done.

"And he is tantalisingly close to achieving something very special with England. It would be a heck of a big call to walk away now."

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'Strong argument for Southgate to stay'

Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler:

"He has done extremely well. I've seen England go out of a lot of World Cups, but rarely go out with this sense of wellbeing.

"The future is very bright, and of course that all stems from Gareth Southgate, the way he has taken on not just the job, but the job of developing the squad, and the whole business of developing the FA and turning it into a place where the young players want to actually go and come through the pathway - and can see quite a quick route into the national team.

"So, there is a 100 per cent argument for him staying, but obviously it's a personal choice and I can understand why [he is considering his future]."

Analysis: Southgate has restored Three Lions' pride

Sky Sports' Peter Smith:

"'We've got credibility now. The rest of the world believe that England are competitive.'" Gareth Southgate's words ahead of what could prove to be his final game in charge of his country are a fitting tribute to his legacy.

"In the end, there was no trophy. France proved too strong, and football still hasn't come home. But the triumph of the Southgate era has been to transform a national team on and off the pitch, in how it is regarded at home and abroad.

"When criticism of Southgate's style was flying around during a dip in performances and results earlier this year it was easy to forget just where he had taken this team from.

"England, remember, had been embarrassed in consecutive tournaments when he took up the reins. They had finished bottom of their group and winless at the 2014 World Cup before the humiliation of Iceland at Euro 2016 two years later.

"Since then, there's been a World Cup semi-final, a Euros final and now this quarter-final exit to defending world champions France. It's a level of consistency that only Sir Alf Ramsey among Southgate's predecessors ever achieved.

"Throughout his time in charge, there were calls for him to cut loose and take off the handbrake. But through his considered approach to each major tournament test and inspirational leadership around the big issues away from the field, Southgate fashioned a side that delivered great moments for its supporters, with players held in greater affection than many who had gone before them. The connection between the players and the fans in the stands has been restored.

"Southgate's England broke records, smashed through glass ceilings, and united the nation behind the Three Lions crest.

"They were a penalty kick away from silverware at Wembley last summer. That first major title since 1966 remains elusive but as Southgate says, England have been restored to the elite level under his watch.

"In the painful aftermath of defeat to France, that is a legacy to be proud of - and a fantastic platform for his successor to build on."

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