The All Whites’ quest for a new head coach continues, but the calibre of those applying won’t be lacking, according to former New Zealand footballer Fred de Jong.
At present, Darren Bazeley is leading the side on an interim basis following Danny Hay’s departure at the end of 2022.
Bazeley has now been in charge for two games, recording a draw and a 2-1 win over China in a two-match series and has expressed an interest in staying on with the side long-term.
However, de Jong expects a high volume of international interest in the role, believing the opportunity is “massively attractive” for budding coaches.
“Some of the international coaches are on big money, but having said that, the New Zealand job is a hugely attractive job for an international coach,” de Jong told SENZ Mornings.
“We will play a decent amount of games over the next cycle (and) we’re pretty much one of the only teams guaranteed to go to the World Cup now given the format.
“So it’s a massively attractive proposition for a coach who wants to get to a World Cup and push forward his coaching credentials.
“I think the opportunity for someone to come in and do that is very high and I think you’d get some pretty good applicants.”
Oceania’s pathway to the 2026 Fifa World Cup is changing, with the tournament expanding to 48 teams rather than just 32.
The top team from Oceania will automatically qualify for the World Cup rather than participating in an intercontinental playoff. The second-ranked team will have another chance via a new playoff format, likely needing to win twice against a higher-ranked team to qualify.
While the former New Zealand striker is excited about the potential of international applicants, he concedes luring a renowned coach will be an expensive endeavour.
“It’s an expensive business,” de Jong added.
“We’ve seen that with the John Herdman example with the All Whites, he was supposedly the preferred candidate, he’s on $700,000 a year Canadian so that’s not chump change.
“I know that Anthony Hudson was on around the $200,000-250,000 mark by the time he left (NZ) so there’s a big gap there.”
A timeline as to when New Zealand Football will select their next All Whites head coach is yet to be determined.
The national side will next take on Sweden on June 17.