Just a day after Graham Arnold resigned as Socceroos manager with immediate effect, the race is already on to find his replacement.
And the new man in the hot seat for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in Asia and on home soil could well be an Australian.
Former Melbourne Victory manager Tony Popovic and A-League Grand Final-winning coach John Aloisi have been mentioned alongside Kevin Muscat, who is currently in charge of Shanghai Port in the Chinese Super League.
Other names being mentioned as candidates include Frenchman Hervé Renard, who coached Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup, which included a win over eventual champions Argentina, and Nick Montgomery.
The Englishman needs no introduction to Central Coast Mariners fans given his A-League heroics when in charge at Gosford.
‘Monty’ is also currently part of the Tottenham coaching staff alongside Ange Postecoglou.
Rene Meulensteen, who worked under Arnold as an assistant coach with the Socceroos and previously under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United for 13 years, is a left-wing option for the role on a permanent basis, as is current FC Tokyo head coach Peter Cklamovski.
On Friday, Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said he was confident of making an appointment in the “next week or two” to succeed Arnold.
Just a day after Graham Arnold resigned as Socceroos manager with immediate effect, the race is on to find his replacement.
Tony Popovic won an Asian Champions League with Western Sydney Wanderers and then enjoyed sustained success with Melbourne Victory in the A-League (pictured)
John Aloisi has his admirers after winning a major A-League final with Western United
Kevin Muscat won a J-League title with Yokohama F. Marinos in 2022 and is on course to win the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Port in his first season in charge.
England’s Nick Montgomery was a revelation with Central Coast Mariners in the A-League and is currently working with Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham in the Premier League.
“We are already looking for a new coach,” he said.
“We know who is available and we will proceed quickly to appoint a permanent coach.”
With the Socceroos’ next World Cup qualifier against China in Adelaide on October 10, a caretaker coach is unlikely.
“We want a coach who is tactically astute,” Johnson added. “We also want a coach who understands the Australian mentality and our players.
‘As an organisation, we need to have confidence that the coach we hire can guide us through a complicated Asian qualification process (for the 2026 World Cup).
“We need to get this quote right.”
