The FA are expected to offer Gareth Southgate £1m-a-year less than the last two England managers despite an impressive start to his tenure.
After the mess that was Sam Allardyce’s brief spell in charge of the Three Lions, Southgate was asked to step in and continue their World Cup qualifying campaign.
Since taking over on an interim basis, he’s delivered wins over Malta and Scotland along with a draw in a tough away trip to Slovenia, all of which keeps England top of Group F.
The 46-year-old has a chance this week to prove further that he is the right man for the job as his side take on Spain in an international friendly at Wembley, and as noted by The Telegraph, the FA are all set to appoint him on a permanent basis.
It’s added that the intention is for Southgate to lead the senior team to the 2020 European Championship, but why should he take smaller wage packet compared to Allardyce or Roy Hodgson?
Neither could deliver the results that the FA craved or indeed keep out of trouble off the pitch, and yet a manager in Southgate who has been embedded within the system for a long time with his work with the youth team is expected to earn less.
Taking into account other former managers, Southgate ranks amongst the lowest in terms of the financial details of his deal with Fabio Capello, Steven McClaren and Sven Goran Eriksson all earning significantly more.
While they may well have been higher-profile names, the way that Southgate has handled the situation and the loyalty and progress that he has shown within the England set-up since 2013 ensures that he deserved a better deal.
The FA have a coach who is a direct link between the senior squad and the Under-21s, as he knows first-hand what individuals at that level are capable of.
If he does indeed have four years in the hot-seat, then he will be tasked with bringing through more younger players and building a bright future for England while also ensuring that they deliver at the World Cup in 2018 and not produce another disappointing effort.
Southgate is the safe pair of hands that England needed and he has tackled big issues in a vibrant and no-nonsense manner. After years of splashing out on managers who didn’t come anywhere near to reaching expectations, it seems like he’s getting the short end of the stick.
Follow Sumeet on Twitter @SP_Calcio