England manager search takes twist as statement says it all for Lee Carsley's hopes
Lee Carsley won both games for England during the latest international break amid his interim role at the helm and it appears that he appears to be closing in on a permanent appointment
Lee Carsley looks set for an extended spell with England after his assistant Ashley Cole's departure from Birmingham City was confirmed.
The former Republic of Ireland international has been overseeing an interim role with the FA following Gareth Southgate's summer exit. He did his chances of securing the permanent job no harm after two wins from as many games against Ireland and Finland.
He is expected to still be in charge during next month’s internationals and has expressed his desire to apply for the permanent job. And it appears that he has a better chance of claiming the role after one of his trusted colleagues secured a full-time job with the FA.
Ex- Arsenal, Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole has been assisting Carsley during his spell as interim boss. The former left-back has been doing the job alongside a first team coaching role with League One big spenders Birmingham.
But Blues announced on Saturday that Cole had moved on to claim a permanent job with the FA, potentially hinting that the same could await Carsley. The statement read: "Blues can confirm the departure of First Team Coach, Ashley Cole.
"The 43-year-old joined the Club in October 2023, working with the Men's First Team for more than 10 months, with the recent Sky Bet League One victory over Wigan Athletic being his last match in post.
"A 107-time England international, he will now assume a full-time role assisting Interim Manager, Lee Carsley, for the Three Lions' Autumn UEFA Nations League, League B Group 2 fixtures, the first two of which saw them beat the Republic of Ireland and Finland during the recent international break."
Asked if he wanted the role going forwards during the latest international break, Carsley replied: “Am I up for it? I think I am up for it.
“I’m very grounded in terms of the most important part of this job which, for me, is the football. Making sure we create a good environment for the players to perform in. I can’t see that being any different.’
Asked if he thought a role with the Three Lions was ‘impossible’, he replied: “I’ve not heard that one, no. I think it’s a really good job, it’s a job where, when you look at different opportunities, the first thing you think is: ‘can you win?’
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“Can you be in a position where you can win? This job definitely ticks that box. We’ve got the players to be really, not only be competitive, but to win a major trophy.”
Cole, 43, enjoyed successful spell as a player with England. He made 107 appearances for the Three Lions over a 13-year spell ahead of his final outing in 2014.
The former defender went on to play for a further five seasons for Roma, LA Galaxy and Derby County. He has since moved into coaching having kicked off his backroom career at former side Chelsea.
Cole then had a stint with the England U21s under current boss Carsley, while he has also been an assistant at Everton, Chelsea and Birmingham. England are next back in action in October as they welcome Greece to Wembley before a clash with Finland in Helsinki.
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