The Football Association are prepared to wait 12 months and go foreign in their search for Roy Hodgson’s successor as England manager, report Daily Mail.
Chief executive Martin Glenn said he is determined to appoint ‘the best man for the job’ as the FA chase the seemingly impossible dream of winning the World Cup by 2022.
Intriguingly, Arsene Wenger, 66, who ticks all the boxes for the FA, enters the final year of his Arsenal contract on Friday, so he will be available next summer.
Glenn said the three-man panel — which also includes Dan Ashworth, the FA director of elite development, and FA vice-chairman David Gill — formed to appoint Hodgson’s replacement, will consult with various football figures.
It is a process that is sure to include Wenger. Glenn revealed a plan to appoint an interim manager if their preferred candidate is not available.
That role is likely to be offered to current England Under 21 boss Gareth Southgate, who has reportedly been approached about taking the job on a short-term basis but was on Tuesday night unsure about stepping up.
The possibility that Wenger may take over is likely to excite supporters following the abysmal Euro 2016 campaign under Hodgson, who resigned following England’s humiliating 2-1 defeat by Iceland on Monday night.
He fits the criteria set by Glenn. Wenger, despite his recent troubles at the Emirates, has a proven track record as well as an encyclopaedic knowledge of Premier League players.
However, the board at Arsenal may yet seek to extend his contract, particularly if they have a successful season.
At the very least, Wenger will see out the final year of his contract, so he would not be available for England until the summer of 2017 at the earliest.
Aside from Wenger, Claudio Ranieri, Steve Bruce, Eddie Howe, Sam Allardyce, David Moyes and Slaven Bilic could be considered.
England face Slovakia in September in World Cup qualifying, followed by group games against Malta and Slovenia.
‘We’d like to get one in (a manager) for the first World Cup qualifier, but if we won’t we have an interim plan in mind,’ Glenn said.
Asked if the interim man would be Southgate, Glenn replied: ‘We are not talking about names today but it would be a pretty obvious one to pick.
‘For such an important decision, we are prepared to wait. If someone was coming to the end of their contract at the end of the season then waiting is a possibility.
‘Of course, if you said, this person is an absolute shoo-in, can you wait, then we are well placed with an interim solution.
‘It is such an important decision. We have got to get the right person. To wait a few months — if that is what we had to do — would be the right decision.
‘We just don’t know yet who the runners and riders would be. We are going to scope out, which we start at the end of this week with David Gill and Dan (Ashworth).
‘We clearly need an inspirational manager who can harness all of the resources that the English game has.’
On the consultation process, Glenn added: ‘I will sit down with David (Gill) at the end of the week. We are going to canvas opinion across the game. It’s an important appointment and we’ve obviously got to get it right. We kick the process off with the three (of us).
‘You’ll have 55 different opinions in this room about who should be manager, but we are going to use the opinions and wisdom and insight of current managers, former managers and players.’
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