England manager Gareth Southgate agrees new deal with FA

Posted Thursday, October 04, 2018 by Skysports.com

England manager Gareth Southgate agrees new deal with FA
Gareth Southgate has agreed a new contract to remain England manager

Gareth Southgate has verbally agreed a new contract which will see him remain as England manager until after the 2022 World Cup, Sky Sports News has learned.

The 48-year-old is expected to sign the paperwork before the senior squad joins up at St George's Park on Sunday evening.

The new deal is understood to include a significant pay rise, which will mean Southgate earns 50 per cent more than he did for guiding England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn says England have unfinished business after Russia, and under Southgate's leadership, the target is to cement a place in the top four of FIFA's world rankings.

Southgate is due to give a press conference at St George's Park on Thursday to name his squad for England's Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain.

England will face Croatia behind closed doors in Rijeka on October 12, when the World Cup finalists will complete a stadium ban handed down after having a swastika on their pitch in 2015.

Southgate's side then travel on to Seville to take on Spain, who won 2-1 at Wembley in England's first Nations League match last month.

Other topics at Thursday's press conference are sure to include FA technical director Dan Ashworth's impending move to Brighton and the matter of players switching nationality.

Highly-rated West Ham youngster Declan Rice is mulling over his international future, despite having played for the Republic of Ireland.

Scotland international and Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney has also been linked with a switch to England, but manager Alex McLeish said there is "nothing sinister" in his absence from the squad named this week.