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Wenger, Ranieri the top candidates for England

LONDON — The Football Association are ready to put Gareth Southgate temporarily in charge of the England team if they have to wait to hire the “inspirational manager” they are seeking, with Arsene Wenger and Claudio Ranieri strong possibilities to be sounded out.

LONDON — The Football Association are ready to put Gareth Southgate temporarily in charge of the England team if they have to wait to hire the “inspirational manager” they are seeking, with Arsene Wenger and Claudio Ranieri strong possibilities to be sounded out.

In fact, Southgate is believed to have already been asked whether he is prepared to take over on a temporary basis and has indicated that he is.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn refused to be drawn on the Under-21 coach, by name, but said: “We are not talking about names today but it would be a pretty obvious one to pick. We just don’t know yet who the runners and riders would be.”

England’s World Cup qualification campaign kicks off away to Slovakia on Sept 4, with Southgate prepared to take the reins.

“We’d like to get one (a permanent new manager) for the first World Cup qualifier but, if we won’t, we have an interim plan in mind,” said Glenn.

It is understood that Arsenal manager Wenger is not opposed to taking on the England job but only if the timing is right, which, given he has a year left on his current deal, and has never broken a contract, would not be now.

Intriguingly though, Glenn has suggested that it is “a possibility” that he will wait to appoint a permanent new manager to succeed Roy Hodgson — who quit on Monday night minutes after the shocking Euro 2016 exit against Iceland — because it is “such an important decision”.

“If you said ‘this person is an absolute shoo-in, can you wait’, then we are well-placed with an interim solution,” said Glenn. “We have got to get the right person. To wait a few months — if that is what we have to do — would be the right decision.”

Arsenal are believed to have already tabled a two-year contract extension, in principle, to keep Wenger at the club, but the 66-year-old Frenchman is understood to want to see how next season begins before committing himself.

Even if he does not do so — and accepts an offer from England — he would still see out his deal at the club, which would mean Southgate and another caretaker, sharing the role, as Glenn alluded to, for next season.

Glenn also indicated that Hodgson’s permanent successor is not expected to be English.

“We are looking for the person, not necessarily the best Englishman”, said Glenn. “If there were the perfect English manager, you would pick them. I am not sure there is. An ideal mix is somebody who has had experience of the English game, ideally at a significant level.”

Although Wenger will be the FA’s first port of call, Ranieri, who led Leicester City to their first ever Premier League title, is another intriguing prospect.

It is believed the Italian would be interested, although the FA will have to act quickly, as the 64-year-old is expected to sign a new improved contract at Leicester when the pre-season starts next month.

Said Glenn: “We clearly need an inspirational manager who can harness all of the resources that the English game, the big resources, has got, everything we have now got at (the national football centre) St George’s Park, to make us more resilient in tournaments. It is an inspirational manager and management team to get the best out of a squad, which has got high potential.” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

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