Tuchel appointed new England manager

Thomas Tuchel has signed a deal to become the new England manager.

Sky Germany are reporting Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract with the FA – which will start on January 1.

There is no comment yet from the FA on this, but it would mean Lee Carsley remaining in interim charge for next month’s Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

Confirmation could come as early as Wednesday – when a press conference has been called for 1.30pm at Wembley – after advanced talks between Tuchel and the Football Association progressed rapidly on Tuesday.

The FA has not commented on widespread reports linking the former Chelsea boss with the position vacated by Gareth Southgate after Euro 2024, but chief executive Mark Bullingham and technical director John McDermott have been in discussions with Tuchel since last month.

The 51-year-old would become the third non-Englishman to hold the post after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

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The German boasts considerable elite-level experience having led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021 and also taken charge of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

The news, which began with similar reports in the German media last week, follows reports suggesting the FA had also made an approach to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

The FA had made it clear at the start of its recruitment process in July that nationality was not an issue, it just wanted the best person for the job.

U21 coach Carsley has been in interim charge of the senior team for their Nations League matches so far this autumn.

Carsley was thought to have been a candidate for the job but a lack of clarity from him regarding his own ambitions had reignited speculation over the position in recent days.

Analysis: ‘An extraordinary situation…the deal is done’

Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett:

“He has signed the contract to take over as Gareth Southgate’s successor.

“We are expecting a news conference at Wembley at 1.30pm on Wednesday which chief executive Mark Bullingham will attend, answer some questions and explain his decision.

“It’s not yet been confirmed if Tuchel will be at that news conference but I would fully expect him to be.

“It’s an extraordinary situation with England appointing only the third non-English manager to take charge of the men’s senior football team – and of course a German coach as well with all of the extra controversy that it’ll bring, and the rivalry between England and Germany that goes back so many decades.

“But the deal is done. It has happened quickly as Tuchel is a free agent having left Bayern Munich in May. I suspected it might drag on as he will have to take a significant pay cut to join England, half the €9m salary he was on in Munich.

“I expect he will earn around £4.5m to £5m – a significant pay cut for a very decorated club manager.

“This will be his first job in international management, in one of if not the most high-profile job in international management. This is a coup for the FA, without a shadow of a doubt, because he’s won a lot of trophies wherever he’s been. That’s why he’s got this job.

“John McDermott wants a coach who can get England over the line and win a first major trophy since 1966. Tuchel has signed the contract and he is out tonight celebrating that fact.”

Is this a kneejerk reaction to Greece game?

“I don’t think it is. The Greece defeat created a lot of ripples around the FA headquarters. They were shocked that England could lose a game against Greece having cruised through qualifiers for the World Cup and against weaker teams under Gareth Southgate and through his entire tenure.

“They were shocked and I think it led them to change their view on whether Carsley was the right man moving forward. He then struggled with some of the media duties and tied himself up in knots with some of his answers to key questions about his future and what the FA were looking for.

“I think it focused the minds in the FA that they needed somebody soon and that they needed someone to take the reins, they needed security and guarantees moving forward for the supporters and the FA as an organisation. The England men’s manager is a figurehead and an ambassador of that organisation.

“But this is also important for the players as they were starting to wonder if he was going to be the manager on a full-time basis. That’s not good in a squad if you have doubts in the squad over whether the manager is going to be there long-term.

“All of that brought their plans forward a little bit. While Tuchel was always on their list, it is true that two weeks ago, the FA hadn’t spoken to him. I didn’t understand that. Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp, Eddie Howe, Graham Potter – all of whom we thought were on the England shortlist… they hadn’t interviewed any of them. So what was the process?

“They’ve moved pretty quickly to decide that Tuchel is the man they want. John McDermott decided he wanted someone who has won silverware, a big personality and someone who will be comfortable with anything we throw at him in the media.

“Thomas Tuchel has fallen out with his bosses before, but he’s won a lot of trophies.

“Gareth Southgate, for all his brilliance as an ambassador and his brilliance in creating a culture in that England team, and a love within the camp of players who wanted to play for their country, he didn’t deliver the ultimate trophy.

“That was what his FA bosses wanted. They’ve ripped up the copybook a little bit here. Gareth Southgate was an FA man, Tuchel is far from that, and he’s German – which will be controversial in many people’s eyes, but the priority is to win a major trophy.

“If Tuchel delivers on that, the fans will be delighted.”

How will England play under Tuchel?

“Wherever he’s gone, he’s played attacking, positive football. We’ve heard from people in his camp today who told us very clearly that his pitch to the FA was to sell this idea of high-octane football.

“He will get a lot of England’s attacking talent onto the pitch. They will play with a high press and with a high energy.

“That’s what he will expect of him and it will be an attractive style that England fans will like to see.

“It’s something Gareth Southgate was accused of not doing for so long but – just a word of caution – that is what Lee Carsley tried the other day against Greece and England came a cropper and looked really open.

“They lost 2-1 but it could have been 4-1 or 5-1 in truth. Gareth Southgate said to me that he was not a fantasy football manager, he is the England manager. He can’t crowbar all the talent in.

“He said that you need to have a system, and Tuchel knows that too as he is a brilliant tactician. England will score and he will keep them secure at the back. The hope is that he can turn it into a winning formula.”

Key questions for Wednesday’s press conference:

• When will Thomas Tuchel start his reign?
• Why has Tuchel accepted this position?
• What was the process to appoint Gareth Southgate’s successor?
• What does this mean for Lee Carsley?
• What does this mean for the FA pathway?

Analysis: Is Tuchel the right fit for England?

Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:

It’s hard to imagine a more strenuous set of off-field circumstances for a football manager to have to cope with than those he faced at Chelsea but the German repeatedly brought honesty, integrity and personality to his press conferences during his time at Stamford Bridge. It was admirable leadership in the most trying of circumstances.

The credit to Tuchel is that, when he was sacked by Todd Boehly and co in September 2022 his reputation was enhanced, both in terms of his work as a coach and as a figurehead for a football club.

With his additional high-profile experiences at Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and most recently Bayern Munich, there can be few managers who know better how to deal with the microscopic analysis made of operators at the very top end of world football and the challenges they face.

The England role is perhaps the most intensely scrutinised of them all – but there can be few coaches better prepared for that element of the job.

Read Peter Smith’s feature in full here

Kane: Tuchel is fantastic

England captain Harry Kane on Thomas Tuchel and the links to England:

“Until it’s announced obviously I can’t really comment, but we have to wait and see.

“Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic person, so I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me when they know more about it.”

Could Tuchel reignite Kane’s England career?

Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:

“Thomas Tuchel has a wide-ranging CV and is one of Europe’s most experienced managers. But a crucial factor in him getting the England job is his relationship with Harry Kane.

“The England captain is the Three Lions’ all-time record goalscorer with 68 goals but is currently playing below his usual standards.

“Kane has been substituted in each of his last seven England appearances – including a pretty limp display in the Euro 2024 final, where questions were raised about his fitness levels.

“What better way to reignite Kane’s international career by bringing in the statistically best coach of his club career, from a goalscoring perspective?

“At Bayern Munich, Kane scored 44 goals in 45 matches under Tuchel, which came to a goal every 89 minutes – the England captain was pretty much guaranteed to be on the scoresheet every game.

“The 2-1 home defeat to Greece, which Kane sat out due to injury, also shone a light on what England could look like after Kane has gone. The Three Lions were not only poor in attack but in creativity too – they had just two shots on target.

“Tuchel has not been completely perfect when it comes to Kane. He infamously took the England captain off with Bayern leading 1-0 at Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final due to back complaints. Moments after Kane came off, Real Madrid scored twice to win 2-1, with Bayern’s best striker on the bench in response.

“But for all the potential controversy that could arise from Tuchel’s arrival at England, the nation’s most important player could be getting a big boost.”

England’s other non-English managers

Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001-2006)

Record: Played 67, won 40, drawn 17, lost 10, scored 128, conceded 61, win ratio 59.7 percent

Tournament history: 2002 World Cup quarter-final, Euro 2004 quarter-final, 2006 World Cup quarter-final.

Strengths: Loved by the players, to whom he was incredibly loyal, and that helped foster a great team spirit and character. Calm under pressure, both on the field and off it with the media after a number of stories about his private life.

Weaknesses: His loyalty to chosen players in a settled squad often left him hamstrung or reluctant to bring in wildcard selections. The style of football was not very entertaining and was criticised for not getting more out of England’s ‘golden generation’.

Fabio Capello (2007-2012)

Overall record: Played 42, won 28, drawn eight, lost six, scored 89, conceded 35, win ratio 66.7 percent.

Tournament record: Last 16 at 2010 World Cup, qualified for Euro 2012.

Strengths: Arrived with a stellar CV and coaching record, having won league titles with AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus. Extensive tactical knowhow produced defensively strong, disciplined teams.

Weaknesses: The English language – he once said he needed only 100 words to communicate with the players. However, that did nothing for his relationship with the media. His man-management was also found wanting as Capello also treated the players like schoolchildren, which was a huge change from his predecessor and not one well-received with the squad who described their 2010 World Cup base as a “luxury prison”.