The rumors linking US national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann to the vacant England job continue to swirl, and The Telegraph only added more fuel to that fire on Monday when it claimed the German manager was on the English FA's list of candidates for the job as they prepare to start interviewing candidates.
The report claims that FA technical director Dan Ashworth will begin interviewing candidates this week after meeting with colleagues on Friday to begin the process of replacing Roy Hodgson, who stepped down after England were eliminated from Euro 2016 by Iceland in the Round of 16.
According to the piece, a number of prominent English players have expressed a preference from a foreign manager because of a lack of English candidates. Among those said to be on Ashworth's list of candidates are Klinsmann, Arsene Wenger (who has just one year remaining on his Arsenal contract), former PSG and France boss Laurent Blanc, West Ham's Slaven Bilic and Leicester City's Claudio Ranieri. The domestic candidates named include Sam Allardyce, Eddie Howe, Glen Hoddle and current England U-21 coach Gareth Southgate.
Klinsmann is about to mark five years on the job for the United States and is fresh off of leading the team to a semifinal finish at the recently-concluded Copa America Centenario. Though his name has been put forward by parts of the English media in the wake of England's elimination, the 2013 Gold Cup winner has made no indication that he would want to leave the US job or would be interested in the England position.
Ashworth is reportedly hoping to make a permanent hire ahead of England's next competitive game on Sept. 4, when they kick off 2018 World Cup qualifying against Slovakia. The US will return to action two days later with a home World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago.
