The FA is prepared to pay an annual salary equivalent to the £4M ($5.3M) earned by top-end Premier League managers when it appoints Roy Hodgson’s successor, though the FA will avoid the costly "naivety" of past appointments by incentivizing the contract, according to Ian Herbert of the London INDEPENDENT. FA CEO Martin Glenn said that "he is willing to make the package attractive to managers who might otherwise take a big Premier League role, in a sign that the governing body is prepared to make itself attractive to Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger." It is understood that Gareth Southgate, the U21 manager, "could still take control of the squad for one game, despite ruling himself out of the running." The fact that the FA is "willing to pay a competitive Premier League salary seems to confirm that Wenger is more appealing to them than English choices Sam Allardyce, Steve Bruce or Glenn Hoddle, who has not managed for ten years." Jurgen Klinnsman, running the U.S. team, and Laurent Blanc, who recently stepped down from Paris St. Germain, "appear more likely successors" (INDEPENDENT, 7/2).
HOPES TO BE CONSIDERED: In London, Matt Hughes reported Guus Hiddink "wants to be considered for the England manager’s job and is seeking talks with the FA." The Dutchman had intended to retire after "ending his second spell as caretaker manager of Chelsea at the end of last season." However, he would "consider returning to work for the right challenge, and the FA has indicated it would like to speak to the 69-year-old." Hiddink "recently rejected an approach from the Russian football federation to return to managing its national team before the 2018 World Cup, as well as lucrative offers from clubs in China and Saudi Arabia in the last month" (LONDON TIMES, 7/4).
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGISTS: In a separate piece, Herbert reported the England team "will have dedicated full-time sports psychologists" when it travels to tournaments, "rather than looser advisory support" of the kind provided Dr. Steve Peters, as the FA seeks to "avoid yet another repeat of the national team’s paralysis under pressure" if the team reaches the 2018 World Cup. Peters’ contribution as a member of Hodgson’s support team "was unclear leading into the tournament, with the initial plan that he would be at the Chantilly base in the week leading up to England’s opener but then free to undertake work for other clients." Prior to Euro 2016 Hodgson said, "He's not employed full-time so he'll have other engagements." Glenn, who described the "brittlesness" he perceived in the team, said that the sports psychology support "would be structured, as it was for the England women's team who reached the last year's World Cup final in Canada" (INDEPENDENT, 7/2).
