Thomas Tuchel AGREES to become the new England manager with the German to fly into London this week to wrap up deal to replace Gareth Southgate as FA move quickly to beat Man United
Thomas Tuchel has agreed to become England’s new manager and is expected to fly in this week to sign a contract worth £5 million per year.
The German will start work in January with an eighteen-month contract. That means the 2026 World Cup in North America could be his only tournament in charge.
The former Chelsea boss will be only the third non-English manager of the England men’s team and the first since Fabio Capello retired in 2012. A press conference is expected to be held at Wembley tomorrow at 1.30pm to announce his appointment. by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.
The FA canvassed candidates including Pep Guardiola and Eddie Howe for the position, which Lee Carsley is currently filling on an interim basis after Gareth Southgate resigned following the heartbreaking defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
But talks between Tuchel and the FA quickly gained momentum, with the governing body aware of interest in the 51-year-old from Manchester United as boss Erik ten Hag considers his future.
Thomas Tuchel, 51, has signed a deal to become the next England manager, becoming the first non-English boss of the men’s national team since 2012
A press conference to announce his appointment is expected to be held at Wembley tomorrow at 1.30pm and will be attended by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.
The German, 51, will permanently replace Gareth Southgate as Three Lions boss who resigned in the summer following the heartbreaking Euro 2024 final loss to Spain
A United defeat to Brentford on Saturday could see Ten Hag sacked, and Tuchel would certainly be in the running to replace him, having already met Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the summer to discuss a takeover at Old Trafford.
Tuchel’s trophy-winning record clearly appeals to the FA, but he also knows English football well. He won the Champions League as Chelsea boss in 2021 and worked alongside England captain Harry Kane at Bayern Munich last season.
It is understood Tuchel is effectively on garden leave after leaving Bayern last summer, which could have financial implications for the FA, but nothing serious enough to derail the deal.
Tuchel, who has been a regular visitor to London since leaving Chelsea in 2022, wants to return to work and the England job proved too attractive to turn down.
England coach Anthony Barry, who worked with Tuchel at Chelsea and Bayern before taking up his current role with Portugal, is likely to reunite with Tuchel at St George’s Park.
Carsley, whose prospects of taking the job on a permanent basis were dealt a blow when his ultra-attacking England line-up was defeated by Greece at Wembley last week, will remain in charge of next month’s Nations League rematch with the Greeks and the final group of next month. match against the Republic of Ireland.
Mail Sport reported on Saturday that the FA had major reservations about whether Carsley wanted to succeed Gareth Southgate on a full-time basis at all.
Those doubts had only grown in recent days after a series of public comments from the 50-year-old that appeared to distance him from the vacancy.
Carsley was backed by the FA, but the feeling that he was not fully convinced about taking the reins led the FA to take their Under 21 manager out of the running and move to Tuchel instead.
Manchester City boss Guardiola was seen as the governing body’s dream candidate, but the FA had received no encouragement from him since an approach in July.
Tuchel’s appointment means England will be the only leading football nation to have foreign managers for both their men’s and women’s teams.
The boss of the Lionesses is Sarina Wiegman, from the Netherlands. The FA must hope that Tuchel will have a similar impact to Wiegman, who led England to European Championship glory in 2022.
The FA declined to comment.
The German has an impressive CV having previously won the Champions League as manager of Chelsea
England U21 boss Lee Carsley has been in interim charge of the Three Lions since Southgate’s departure
Tuchel has been out of work since leaving German giants Bayern Munich in May
The German is England’s first non-English boss since Fabio Capello (pictured) quit in 2012
Tuchel has an impressive CV, having won league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, as well as the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup with Chelsea.
But it will undoubtedly be seen as a controversial move by the FA due to England’s rivalry with its native Germany.
England captain Harry Kane played under Tuchel at Bayern Munich last season and spoke earlier today about his former boss’ links with the job.
‘I obviously know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic person, so I’m sure the FA guys will get back to me when they know more about it,” he said.
Tuchel’s first game in charge is likely to be in March and will be a qualifier for the 2026 World Cup.
The 51-year-old was recently told that he would be Man United’s top target if they decided to sack Ten Hag, according to reports.
United courted the German in the summer but opted to stay with Ten Hag despite their dismal start to the season.