Fabio Capello: Players and pundits react to resignation

“I think it’s a long-term ambition for [Redknapp]. He can do Spurs until May. It’s a perfect fit if they can make it work.”

Capello resigned after a meeting with Football Association chairman David Bernstein and general secretary Alex Horne at Wembley.

The Italian dared to publicly challenge the FA’s decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy, pending the outcome of his court case in July, and former England defender Martin Keown said: “Capello has fallen on his sword for Terry.”

Terry, 31, denies a charge of allegedly racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand and, following the meeting with Capello at Wembley, an FA statement said: “The discussions focused on the FA Board’s decision to remove the England team captaincy from John Terry, and Fabio Capello’s response through an Italian broadcast interview.”

FA head of elite development Gareth Southgate believes England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce will take charge in the short term, with England’s next match against Netherlands at Wembley on 29 February.

“I would imagine the likely solution is that Stuart Pearce will be in temporary charge, because he is in the building and with the under-21s,” he said.

“But you have to think for the summer, can you get the person you want for the longer term? The leading candidates are with clubs at the minute.

“Harry Redknapp is one of the leading candidates. But Tottenham will have something to say about that and [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy is not going to want Harry to leave without a fight, so there’s an awful lot to work out in the next few weeks.”

Former England captain Alan Shearer, speaking on BBC Radio 5 live, said: “I am shocked and amazed – I’m really surprised.