The race is on to replace Graham Arnold before next month’s international window, which includes a pair of FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan. These are some potential Subway Socceroos candidates.
After six years, there will be a new coach at the helm of the Subway Socceroos but the big question is: Who?
The two-time Isuzu UTE A-League Championship-winning head coach revealed he had been contemplating his future for six months after the Socceroos lost in the quarter-finals of the 2024 AFC Asian Cup.
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Arnold leaves as the longest-serving Socceroos coach, having been appointed in 2018 while he oversaw an unforgettable 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar, where Australia reached the last 16 before losing to eventual champions Argentina – their most successful World Cup in history.
Football Australia (FA) CEO James Johnson said the governing body will look to appoint a “permanent” replacement for next month’s international window, which includes a home clash with China and a trip to high-flying Japan.
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It is understood A-Leagues legend Kevin Muscat is not in the running to succeed Arnold amid his quest to lead Asian giants Shanghai Port to back-to-back Chinese Super League titles and a maiden Chinese FA Cup crown.
Here are some potential candidates who could take over, with three possible options spending time in the A-Leagues previously.
Peter Cklamovski (FC Tokyo)
Ange Postecoglou’s former right-hand man, Peter Cklamovski is no stranger to the Socceroos or national team setup within Football Australia, and he’s known for his attacking style of football.
The Australian, who is currently head coach of J1 League giants FC Tokyo, was part of Postecoglou’s coaching staff for three years, including when Australia won the 2015 Asian Cup on home soil before spending a year in charge of the Joeys.
It came after stints in the Isuzu UTE A-League with Perth Glory, Adelaide United and Postecoglou’s Melbourne Victory in 2012-14.
Since then, he has been based in Japan for the past six years, meaning he understands the Asian landscape well.
After helping Postecoglou’s Yokohama F.Marinos transform Japanese football and end a 15-year title drought in the J1 League, Cklamovski has forged his own path in Japan.
Following a brief stint at Shimizu S-Pulse, the 45-year-old transformed second-tier Montedio Yamagata.
He turned turned the club from relegation candidates in 2021 to promotion hopefuls, changing Montedio’s DNA with his unrelenting emphasis on an high-octane style of attacking football. He left with the highest win percentage of any manager in their history.
Since the middle of last season, Cklamovski has been at the helm of FC Tokyo, where he has been on a “mission” to make history with the capital club.
“(The plan is to) get all of Japan talking about FC Tokyo’s football,” Cklamovski told aleagues.com.au previously, with his club currently eighth in the J1 League this term.
“Get the team playing a brand of football that’s attacking and aggressive, that mentality to score goals.
“Get this team playing like the club has never seen it before. That’s my excitement… If I can get that right and that daily mentality, I know we can take some steps forward.”
Tony Popovic (Unattached)
Is the Socceroos job the next on Tony Popovic’s list?
Popovic’s Victory came within a whisker of the Isuzu UTE A-League Championship last season, losing to Central Coast Mariners 3-2 in extra time.
Across his three seasons at AAMI Park, Popovic won the Australia Cup with Victory in 2021 and took the club to a second-place finish in his first Isuzu UTE A-League campaign.
Victory finished 11th in the following season but swiftly bounced back in 2023-24, finishing third on the table and reaching the Grand Final – a game Popovic’s side led 1-0 at the 90-minute mark before succumbing to a 3-1 extra-time defeat to the Mariners.
Popovic coached 85 league games across three seasons at Victory. He won 34 of those 85 games, drew 26 and lost 25.
The 51-year-old is a five-time runner-up in the Isuzu UTE A-League and a two-time Premiership winner as a coach in the competition, but he has had an impact wherever he has been.
An ex-Crystal Palace and Sanfrecce Hiroshima defender, Popovic has conquered Asian football, however.
It what remains the biggest achievement by an A-Leagues club, he guided Western Sydney Wanderers to AFC Champions League glory in 2014; Popovic’s Wanderers stunned Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal.
Nick Montgomery (Tottenham)
Nick Montgomery has had a huge impact on Australian football, and he knows the landscape of football Down Under.
Before joining Postecoglou’s coaching staff at Premier League giants Tottenham this season, the Sheffield United legend transformed Central Coast Mariners.
Aussie citizen Montgomery led the Mariners to their first Championship in 10 years with a 6-1 humbling of Melbourne City in 2022-23.
It was an achievement that defied the odds. It also highlighted Montgomery’s rise in Gosford.
A former Mariners player and captain, the former Scotland youth international was initially coaching Central Coast’s academy team when the Mariners’ senior side were languishing at the foot of the Isuzu UTE A-League standings.
From the very beginning of his coaching tenure on the coast, Montgomery placed an emphasis on youth.
Socceroos Garang Kuol (Newcastle United), Kye Rowles (Hearts) and Sammy Silvera (Middlesbrough) all earned moves abroad on his watch, as did Nectar Triantis (Sunderland) while former players Josh Nisbet (Ross County), Jacob Farrell (Portsmouth) and Max Balard (NAC Breda) have gone on to move overseas.
“Central Coast have done an outstanding job. Obviously Monty did a great job the last few years with them, its a great story,” Postecoglou said when asked by aleagues.com.au during Tottenham’s Melbourne visit in May.
Montgomery is now working alongside Postecoglou at Tottenham after his brief time in charge of Scottish Premiership outfit Hibernian last season.
Foreign options
There are several foreigners who could fit the bill for Football Australia.
If the Socceroos don’t turn to current assistant Rene Meulensteen, the standout name as it stands is Frenchman and journeyman Herve Renard.
Most recently he was head coach of the France women’s team, who were eliminated by the CommBank Matildas in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter-finals.
Renard also coached Saudi Arabia and oversaw a shock win over eventual champions Argentina at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, having tasted AFCON glory with Zambia and Ivory Coast.
Another free agent is Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz – the former Real Madrid head coach and Manchester United assistant who was last in charge of Qatar, having previously led Iran, Egypt Colombia, Iran and Portugal.
Queiroz led Iran to qualification for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and was an AFCON runner-up with Egypt in 2021.
Other international managers without a team include former Germany boss Joachim Low, ex-Socceroos assistant Mark van Bommel, former South Korea boss Jurgen Klinsmann and Jorge Sampaoli, who won the 2015 Copa America with Chile.
