FA hope to extend Southgate contract

The Football Association (FA) is hoping to tie England manager Gareth Southgate to a new long-term contract that will take him beyond Euro 2020.

Southgate and his team garnered a wave of public support with their unexpected run to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia.

It was the first time England had reached the tournament's final four in 28 years and the FA are eager to reward that success with an extension of the former Aston Villa boss' current deal, which has two years left to run.

However, FA chief executive Martin Glenn warned it will be difficult to compete financially should a Premier League club attempt to recruit the 47-year-old.

"Gareth has been excellent. We'd like him to stay beyond 2020," Glenn told reporters.

"I think we'd both like that, but if we talked about it at any length it would then be a contract conversation and he's on holiday now, so we'll talk when he comes back."

"Benchmarks are always the question and we can never compete with the Premier League in terms of pay. Everyone knows that."

 

July 24, 2018

"Gareth is on a journey. He loved the World Cup and he's built his own belief that we can go further and that motivates him and [assistant manager] Steve Holland."

"One of the most powerful things he said after our [semi-final] defeat to Croatia was we haven't done the job."

Meanwhile, the FA has confirmed it is considering a bid to host the 2030 World Cup, having most recently missed out on this year's edition.

The findings of a feasibility study will be assessed next year to determine whether a submission is lodged.