Watch live coverage of Thomas Tuchel’s first press conference as England manager
Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of England’s men’s national team.
The Athletic reported that Tuchel reached an agreement to become England manager on Tuesday, and his appointment was confirmed on Wednesday morning. He will take up the role from January 1, 2025, with interim coach Lee Carsley continuing to lead the team for England’s Nations League games in November.
Tuchel will be assisted by Anthony Barry, who he worked with at Chelsea and Bayern Munich, and further appointments to his backroom staff are expected to be made in the near future.
The FA said Tuchel signed the contract on October 8 and had interviewed “several candidates” as part of the process. Tuchel’s contract terms include a bonus for winning the World Cup, with the next tournament to be held in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The FA has yet to confirm the length of Tuchel and Barry’s contracts.
Josep Guardiola is the free agent’s front-runner to replace Gareth Southgate, and his admiration for the Catalan remains. The 53-year-old’s contract with Manchester City expires at the end of this season, but he has not yet decided on his future.
Speaking about his appointment, Tuchel said: “I am extremely proud to have been given the honor of leading the England national team.” “I have felt a personal connection to the game in this country for a long time and it has already given me some great moments.
“It is a huge honor to have the opportunity to represent England and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.”
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Tuchel has been out of work since stepping down as Bayern Munich manager at the end of last season.
Although Tuchel worked with England captain Harry Kane during his time at the German club, Tuchel is familiar with most of England’s squad from his time in the Premier League as Chelsea’s head coach.
The FA has moved to find a permanent replacement for Southgate, with caretaker manager Carsley saying the national team needs a “world-class coach” to lead the country to the next World Cup in 2026.
Carsley, 50, was appointed on an interim basis after Southgate resigned in July following England’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Carsley led the first team to victory in three of their four Nations League games, but last week’s 2-1 home defeat to Greece ended England’s hopes of winning the group.
Tuchel won the 2021 Champions League with Chelsea, defeating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the final (Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Tuchel was approached by Manchester United last summer and even discussed financial terms before choosing to retain Erik ten Hag as manager.
The former Chelsea head coach was being considered for the top post at Old Trafford following the departure of Ralf Rangnick before the club opted to hire Ten Hag.
Tuchel becomes the third foreign manager to lead England’s men’s national team, following the late Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, and the first German manager.
Tuchel started his managerial career at Mainz before going on to work at Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, where he led the club to the Champions League final in 2020.
He was appointed as Chelsea’s head coach in January 2021, replacing Frank Lampard, and later that season he led the club to their second Champions League title, defeating Guardiola’s City in the final.
Tuchel qualified for the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup later that year, but was sacked by Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boley a month into the 2022-23 season.
He replaced Julian Nagelsmann in May 2023 two months ago and led Bayern to a record-extending 33rd Bundesliga title – his first German league title as a manager. Bayer Leverkusen instead won their first Bundesliga title earlier this year.
(Top photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
