The 54 year old, who resigned as England manager in June 2024 after losing in the Euro 2024 final to Spain, has reportedly applied to manage the Poland national team.

Southgate, who led England to two European Championship finals and a 2018 World Cup semi-final during his eight-year tenure, is said to have expressed personal interest in the role, per Polish outlet Przeglad Sportowy Onet.

Ex England manager Gareth Southgate is reportedly eyeing return to international football & expressed interest in taking the Poland job – media reports.

Last manager Michał Probierz resigned after a public fallout with Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski. https://t.co/p9SvjUg1wk

— Jakub Krupa (@JakubKrupa) June 17, 2025

However, he would need to accept a significant pay cut from his £5m-a-year England salary.

The Polish Football Association, led by president Cezary Kulesza, reportedly prefers a Polish candidate, with names like Jan Urban and Adam Nawałka in contention, alongside international figures like Miroslav Klose and Carlos Queiroz.

Poland are on the search for a new manager after Michal Probierz resigned amid a feud with Robert Lewandowski, who retired from international duty, but may reconsider.

In October 2024, it was revealed by Southgate that he would not return to a coaching role for at least a year.

He had been linked with Manchester United that year, amid the uncertainty over the future of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

However, speaking at the European Club Association general assembly in Athens, Southgate ruled out an immediate return to management.

“I won’t coach in the next year for sure, I’m certain of that,” “I need to give myself time to make good decisions.

“When you come out of a really big role you need to give your body time, you need to give your mind time.

“I’m enjoying my life, so there’s no rush.

“I’m fortunate that there are lots of different opportunities that are presenting themselves. The business side of football is really interesting,

“I’ve been invited to speak at Harvard and there’s lots of exciting life experiences to have.

“I’m 54 and want to enjoy and be really motivated for the next 10 to 15 years of my life and the most important thing is to give myself time to make good decisions.”

Gareth Southgate warns of ‘toxic influencers’ and ‘crisis’ that face ‘isolated’ young men

Southgate said he wouldn’t coach another international team and was going to be careful before returning to the club environment.

“Clubs can only be successful if everything is aligned, right the way through the club,”

“I also know that maybe the smarter people sit in the boardrooms and the coaches are a little bit more dispensable than you think when you are there.

“As a coach you think you’re the most important person. I sat in every boardroom in our country for eight years and realised you’re only a small piece in this whole thing.”

He then said at the ECA event in Athens that the “reconnection” with the fans through a positive media strategy “helps the team to feel more relaxed going into games”.

“We saw that in the summer when there was a shift with the media because it brought more pressure on to the team.

“That is a watch out for England going forward. They need to keep that strong relationship with the fans and the media because it is much harder if you don’t.”

“[Before his tenure] perhaps players had stopped thinking what might be possible and were worrying about what might go wrong. It can be a painful experience.

“Some of our players weren’t delivering at the highest possible level because they were inhibited and thinking about not being the guy who was responsible for losing rather than how do we go and win.”

Southgate said he felt England’s best tournament performances were at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, despite the quarter-final exit to France.

“We had a lot of physical issues [at Euro 2024]. We had players not at their best. This summer we couldn’t find the same flow and rhythm. But we still managed to find different ways to win,” he said.

“I am pleased we have left consistency. We have been ranked in the top five in the world for six years and we delivered over four tournaments.

“But that missing piece will always eat away that we weren’t able to deliver a trophy for supporters who have waited for a long time.”

In April 2025, Gareth Southgate reportedly changed his job title to ‘company director’ online, with the Companies House naming him as one of two officers of MAS Investment Holdings Limited – a business which handled his £6.2m property portfolio.

More recently, he has worked as a technical observer for UEFA, as well as speaking as a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School in the US.

He is to release a self-help book called ‘Dear England: Lessons on Leadership’.

A Goodwill Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and an ambassador for children’s hospice Martin House in Boston Spa, Southgate also stated that he was busy with his charity roles.

“I’m comfortable with this period of ‘exploration’ and not having all the answers. I’m following the advice I would give to any young person, without a clear career vision.

“Keep learning, build or explore your network, seek different life experiences and when you decide what’s next, there will be no right or wrong, just one path or another.

“For now, I’m finding my required purpose within all that being able to dial up the days supporting my chosen charities.”

: Sounds too good to be true for Poland, he’d be an incredible appointment

: Oh my giddy aunt, please no!

: Give me a break. The guy had a generation of players like that in England and he didn’t achieve anything with them

: Gareth Southgate as manager? 🇵🇱 With respect to his achievements, but this is not the right choice. We need a manager who knows the specifics of our game and will build a team for years, not just names. High wages are not a problem – the priority is vision and fit.

: Gareth Southgate has announced his candidacy for the Polish national team coach? A very interesting offer. I would take it.

: Take it and don’t think about it

: The roles will be reversed and now Cash will be the only one who understands what the coach is saying

: It may be funny to some, but I see it. Great experience in the national team. And he would change the formation to 4 at the back, which is a must have

: If this is true and if the pay conditions are not too high, he should get the job right away.

: He has failed to manage one of England’s best squads in recent years, and he wants our diamonds. That’s a recipe for disaster.

: mixed feelings. on the one hand his England played tragically and the potential was completely wasted, at the same time we probably won’t get anyone more serious

@ciezkowskazac: The guy doesn’t know what he’s signing up for