England legend Paul Gascoigne has tipped a former Chelsea player as a potential candidate to manage England in the future.
It’s interesting to spot that a number of former Chelsea stars are now working in management.
For example, Blues legends Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas both swapped the pitch for the dugout after their playing careers. Lampard is coaching a Coventry City team competing in the Championship play-offs, while Fabregas’ Como side sit 10th in Serie A this season.
Interestingly, Three Lions icon Paul Gascoigne has suggested a different former Chelsea player as someone who could one day be England manager.
Paul Gascoigne tips Scott Parker as future England manager
According to Gascoigne, former Chelsea midfielder Scott Parker could be a potential manager of the England national side further down the line.
The 44-year-old Englishman is currently managing Burnley, leading them to promotion from the Championship in the 2024/25 season with 100 league points.
Gascoigne told SportingTalk: “He (Parker) is doing well.”
When asked if Parker could manage England one day, Gascoigne added: “Yeah, definitely. Intelligent guy, smart guy. Even when he played, he was an intelligent player and kept everything neat.”
Parker enjoyed a successful career in English football as a player, including a brief spell at Chelsea in the 2004/05 season. He represented his country on the senior international stage numerous times, too.
| Team | Appearances |
| Charlton Athletic | 141 |
| West Ham | 129 |
| Fulham | 128 |
| Newcastle United | 73 |
| Tottenham | 63 |
| Chelsea | 28 |
| Norwich City | 5 |
| England | 18 |
Since retiring in 2017, Parker has gone on and thrown himself into management, enduring mixed success.
The obvious highs are the promotions he achieved as a coach with each of Burnley, Bournemouth and Fulham. But it’s been a lot tougher for him to succeed in the Premier League, experiencing relegation with Fulham in 2021.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| Burnley | 50 | 30 | 16 | 4 |
| Club Brugge | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Bournemouth | 55 | 29 | 13 | 13 |
| Fulham | 105 | 37 | 25 | 43 |
If Parker is to be a serious candidate for England, we’d first like to see him perform much better at the Premier League level.
Thomas Tuchel must make Cole Palmer central to plans
At the moment, former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is working in the high-profile position as England manager.
The 51-year-old German coach kickstarted his reign with two wins out of two in World Cup qualifiers in March, but he’ll ultimately be judged on what he can achieve in major tournaments.
When it comes to the new-look England team, Tuchel must make Cole Palmer a central figure, something that predecessor Gareth Southgate didn’t do.
Chelsea’s attacking midfielder Palmer, 23, has the star quality to light up the England team. Unfortunately, he missed the March camp because of injury.
Jamie Carragher’s message to Thomas Tuchel is that England’s side must be built around Palmer and Jude Bellingham moving forward.
