Thomas Tuchel has been named England’s new manager following a successful agreement with the Football Association (FA) on Wednesday.
The German mastermind, Tuchel, 51, is set to succeed Gareth Southgate who was sacked following a disappointing run with the Three Lions.
“The FA has announced that UEFA Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel is the new England senior men’s head coach and will be assisted by internationally renowned English coach Anthony Barry,” the English Football Association said in a statement.
Tuchel, who has been out of a job since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season, would become just the third foreign coach to lead the Three Lions, following Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
Tuchel is expected to sign an 18-month contract starting Jan. 1, 2025, running through the 2026 World Cup.
A former coach of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern, Tuchel has the trophy-winning pedigree the FA seeks to help end England’s 58-year wait to win a major tournament.
However, the move has drawn criticism over the FA’s reluctance to appoint an English coach for its top job.
Tuchel won league titles at PSG and Bayern, and the German Cup with Dortmund, but his greatest success came during his time at Chelsea.
He led the Blues to Champions League glory just months after taking charge in 2021 and also won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup with the London club.
Tuchel was sacked in September 2022 in an early move by Chelsea’s new ownership group that did not pay off.
‘Fantastic coach’
Six months later, Tuchel was appointed Bayern manager and led them to an 11th consecutive Bundesliga title.
However, Tuchel also presided over the end of Bayern’s dominance, as last season was their first trophyless campaign in 12 years.
Lee Carsley was named interim manager of England in August after Southgate resigned following a loss in the Euro 2024 final.
The 50-year-old, who stepped up from his role as under-21s manager, has since given mixed signals about whether he wants the job permanently.
Despite winning three of his four matches in charge, Carsley’s case was weakened by a 2-1 Nations League defeat to Greece last week. He also backed the idea of appointing a foreign coach if they are the best candidate.
“We’ve seen in the past that we’ve had different nationalities coach the team. The best candidate should get the job,” said Carsley. “I think we’d be putting ourselves in a corner if we didn’t open our minds a bit.”
Carsley may still lead England in matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month if Tuchel doesn’t take over until January.
Tuchel will inherit a talented generation of players, including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Cole Palmer, who are among the favorites for World Cup glory in 2026.
Kane, who was signed by Tuchel for Bayern last year, scored 44 goals in 45 matches under his guidance.
“Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year,” Kane told Sky Germany. “Fantastic coach, fantastic person, so I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me when they know more about it.”
Southgate led the Three Lions to consecutive Euro finals and a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final across his four major tournaments in charge.
England, however, has not won a major men’s tournament since the 1966 World Cup.
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