FA Chief Says New Contract Offer for Gareth Southgate Will Not Rival Premier League Wages

Gareth Southgate's heroic campaign with England has earned him a new contract and a lot of support as the Three Lions face the future after the World Cup. 

However Martin Glenn, chief executive of the Football Association, has warned Southgate not to expect his wages to come close to those of Premier League managers.

Southgate's future has become a topic of public interest, and Glenn has spoken to the Mirror about the FA's plans for the national team manager, saying: "We’d like him to stay beyond 2020…we both would like that.

“We haven’t talked about it in any depth. If we did, it would be a contract discussion. He’s on holiday right now but we will talk about that when he gets back."

Southgate's current £1.7m per year deal is due to expire in 2020, and when he returns from holiday he can expect an extension until 2024 as well as a well-deserved pay rise. Though he will still be far from earning as much as even a mid-table Premier League manager.

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Glenn tries to explain why the FA can't compete with Premier League clubs in terms of manager wages, adding: "It’s our job to make it competitive - we have to make sure that he and all our people are competitively rewarded. 

"But what is the competitive benchmark is always the question and we can never compete with a Premier League club in terms of pay. I want to pay competitively enough, but I also recognise we are a sports governing body and not a Manchester United.”

This approach comes in stark contrast to previous administrations who practically threw money at national team managers like Fabio Capello, who banked £6m a year before leaving the post in 2012.

Southgate has done wonders for the national team and the pride of the entire nation, but the messages from the FA will lead him to expect at best to double his current salary.