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Four months on from England’s agonising Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain, the Three Lions are still without a permanent manager following Gareth Southgate’s departure from the helm.

Since then, it has been Irishman Lee Carsley who has been acting as the caretaker manager of England’s national team. Carsley is highly rated by the FA given his success with England’s Under 21 side having won the Euros with them so it was no surprise that he was given at least temporary reigns to the top job whilst the FA took a long and methodical approach to who would take over from Southgate.

It’s been a mixed bag with Carsley and England’s national side since then. Much was made of their attacking style and positive footballing tactics after their 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland (where ironically, both goal scorers were former age-grade Irish players Declan Rice and Jack Grealish).

Following up this win was a solid 2-0 win against Finland in September which saw striker Harry Kane net two spectacular goals on his 100th international cap.

It was not to be 3 out of 3 though with England losing out to Greece in an emotionally charged counter which saw the Hellenic side dismantle Carsley’s England 2-1 with a 94th-minute winner.

Has Carsley done enough to get the nod as permanent manager?

Let’s see what the Irish bookmakers think:

Thomas Thuchel

At the time of writing, German football manager Thomas Thuchel is Bet 365’s new odds-on favourite for the England managership. Tuchel has coached Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain so it goes without saying he is a widely acclaimed football manager.

The 51-year-old is currently without a club having departed Bayern Munich after failing to win the Bundesliga with the Bavarian club in what would be the first season without the trophy in 11 years.

Tuchel has also been linked to Manchester United, but some Irish bookies are convinced he will be appearing at Wembley in the near future.

bet365

4/9

Lee Carsley

Lee Carsley recently came under fire for not singing the England national anthem. The Irishman explained that this stems from his own playing days but for many England football fans, this is simply a red herring with the moderates wanting him to do his talking with the side on the field, rather than off it.

England has another upcoming match with Finland in what he has described as being a chance for him to give this game his best shot as he nears the end of his stint for at least the caretaker manager position.

Carsley is still the bookie’s favourite for some, although many Irish football bookmakers have pulled out of pricing this outcome in its entirety:

bet365	Unibet	Betfred
7/2	7/4	5/4

Eddie Howe

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was linked to England’s biggest job when he insisted that his utmost priorities remained on doing the best he could with his current club. Such soundbites have not convinced many that he is out of the race entirely, although some distance remains between Carsley, Tuchel, and the rest of the field.

bet365	Unibet	Betfred
8/1	8/1	8/1

Graham Potter

Graham Potter was one of the early favourites for the top job after Gareth Southgate’s departure having been reported to be ready for a return back to coaching since his Chelsea dismissal in 2023.

Potter was coy when asked about being linked to the England job and whilst he is still in the running, Irish bookmakers do not have him priced as low in comparison to those earlier days of speculation.

bet365	Unibet	Betfred
8/1	13/2	8/1