The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has confirmed that the search for a new Ireland boss will come to an end in early April, but existing contractual commitments mean they can’t comment until then. The search for a new full-time Ireland manager has entered another week with no full-time manager in the hot seat.
Last week, it was announced that former Ireland captain and defender John O'Shea would take temporary charge of the team for the friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland on March 23 and 26.
The organisation has been searching for a Stephen Kenny replacement since sacking him in November. Since then, the likes of Carsley, Steve Bruce, Slaven Bilic, Roy Keane, and Poyet have all been linked.
The FAI has teased on more than one occasion that the search is nearing an end. "The process is ongoing. We hope to complete that process as soon as possible. We're getting closer; that's all I would say on that," said Canham at the unveiling of his comprehensive Football Pathways Plan weeks ago.
Today, while speaking at another press conference alongside O'Shea, Canham once again stated that the search will come to an end soon. However, they also admitted that "existing contractual arrangements" preclude the FAI from confirming their new manager until April.
When asked about the endpoint, Canham said, “very close to the endpoint," adding that “existing contractual commitments mean we can’t comment until then.”
Lee Carsley is being tipped to take over from Stephen Kenny (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)“It’s at a really advanced stage,” added Canham. “The announcement will be in early April. We need to make sure we give as much respect as possible to all the candidates that have been involved in the process.”
This has led to speculation that the next Ireland manager will be either Greece boss Gus Poyet or Lee Carsley, the current England U-21 boss.
Poyet has spoken about his admiration for the Ireland team during the last qualification campaign. The former Uruguayan player made comments after Greece's 2-0 win over Ireland in Dublin and said, "It is a big plus for us to have this situation now and be able to beat the Republic of Ireland twice because, I tell you, the support in here. I would like to be in charge of the team here."
Poyet's contract as Greece manager ends after the Euro 2024 playoffs next month, when his side is expected to qualify for the tournament by overcoming Kazakhstan and the winners of Georgia versus Luxembourg. This makes him a candidate because of the potential contract expiration.
Carsley, on the other hand, is on a rolling contract with the FA, but there are rumours that he has been offered a four-year contract to take over as Republic of Ireland boss. There is also a break clause in the contract, according to reports.
England's next games will be against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg on March 22 and 26. They don't play another fixture until September. This would also tie in with the FAI's plan for an early April announcement.
