PZPN with a sensational offer. A big name wants to work with the Polish national team

The president of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, has certainly not been bored in recent days. Media reports mixed with what the head of the federation himself has said mean that there are already a dozen or so potential new coaches for the Polish national team. And it seems that this list is getting longer by the day.

PZPN with a sensational offer. Will Gareth Southgate lead the Poles?

On Monday (i.e. June 16), the biggest hit seemed to be the interest from Miroslav Klose, who was first reported by journalists from “Fakt”. The next day brought an even more spectacular name, this time more in the context of the coaching market. According to Dariusz Dobek from “Przegląd Sportowy” and Onet, Gareth Southgate is interested in working with the Polish national team.

The Englishman led the Sons of Albion team to two European Championship finals, in 2021 and 2024. The English lost to Italy (after a penalty shootout) and Spain (1:2) respectively. To this can also be added the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. Southgate led the most important team in the British Isles from 2016 to 2024. In total, he led the English in 102 matches, of which 64 ended in victories, 20 draws and 18 defeats.

Additionally, he was also a former England international, playing 57 games for the senior team between 1995 and 2004, scoring two goals.

It seems that the interest that Southgate himself is supposed to have shown may turn heads in the Polish Football Association. The main problem, however, may be the salary that bringing the Englishman to the Polish national team will probably require. While working for the English, Southgate was getting 5 million pounds a year from the Polish federation.

Michał Probierz resigned from his role as coach of the Polish national team

It is worth recalling that Michał Probierz became the coach of the Polish national team in September 2023. The Polish coach replaced Fernando Santos in this position. The Portuguese, the European champion in 2016, compromised himself in his work in Poland. Probierz, previously the coach of the U-21 team (from July 2022), was given several tasks to perform, with short and long deadlines.

Ultimately, Probierz advanced to Euro 2024, although not directly, but after winning the matches in the play-off phase for the tournament in Germany. However, the Poles managed to gain only one point at the European Championship and were eliminated after the group games. In addition, the Poles failed to stay in Division A of the Nations League, losing the decisive match at the PGE National Stadium with Scotland (1:2).

In the case of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Polish team performed very averagely. After narrow victories over much lower-ranked teams, Lithuania (1:0) and Malta (2:0), last Tuesday (June 10), Poland lost away to Finland (1:2).

In addition, there was the so-called armband affair, as a result of which Robert Lewandowski was stripped of the role of captain by phone (!), then "Lewy" resigned from playing in the national team - as long as Probierz is the coach - and finally the coach himself resigned from his job. This happened on Thursday, i.e. June 12, less than two days after the defeat in Helsinki.

Read also: Robert Lewandowski has changed his mind about the national team. "Believe me, that's how it is" Read also: Cezary Kulesza has chosen the coach of the Polish national team. The end of the national team with "Lewy"?