Coventry City are reportedly interested in making Lee Carsley their boss after his interim spell in charge of England comes to an end, as reported by The Coventry Telegraph.
Carsley is a former Sky Blues midfielder, having had two spells with the club.
Why Lee Carsley?
Aside from Carsley’s links to Coventry, he has built an excellent reputation as a coach since his retirement from playing.
He gained experience with spells as caretaker manager for Coventry, Brentford and Birmingham City and worked as an assistant at Sheffield United.
It was a move to work for the Football Association that has seen the former Republic of Ireland thrust into the public eye. His performances with the England Under 19s, 20s and 21s have been highly successful.
As part of the Under 19 set-up, Carsley helped guide the young Lions to a European Championship semi-final in 2016. A title would follow in 2023 with the Under 21 team as they claimed European Championship glory.
That winning squad contained several players who have since made the step up to senior international football, including under Carsley. The likes of Curtis Jones, Angel Gomes and Morgan Gibbs-White have all made debuts during the former Everton midfielder’s temporary spell.
Under his leadership, England have won four of the five UEFA Nations League fixtures they have played and will look to finish on top of the group by beating Ireland on Sunday.
Having had success at under underage level and now handling the top job in English football, Carsley finds himself in demand.
Tough Act To Follow
Whoever gets the Coventry City job has a huge act to follow after the success of Mark Robins, who led the club for seven full sevens.
The former striker took over a club destined for League Two and masterminded their return at the first time of asking. He would go on to guide the club to the Championship, an FA Cup semi-final and to within a penalty shootout of the Premier League.
Writer’s View
The interest in Carsley is understandable as his achievements have been thrust into the public eye due to the attention that comes with his current role.
Whether he will want to step away from the England set-up and become a club manager remains to be seen. If he does take the Coventry job, he has to hit the ground running to avoid the pressure growing after the success of Robins.
