England have officially announced Thomas Tuchel as the new manager of the men’s national team, with highly-regarded English coach Anthony Barry as his assistant.
The German succeeds Gareth Southgate as the permanent boss of the side in an eye-catching appointment made by the Football Association (FA). The former Chelsea manager has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season, but carries real pedigree, leading the Stamford Bridge club to Champions League triumph in 2021 and winning league titles in both Germany and France.
The 51-year-old will lead England into the 2026 World Cup on North American soil having emerged as the FA’s preferred appointment this week – with official confirmation coming on Wednesday morning. A number of candidates, including Pep Guardiola, were sounded out over the vacancy while Lee Carsley performed the duties on an interim basis, but Tuchel fits many of the criteria outlined by the stand-in manager last week.
Having worked closely with captain Harry Kane at Bayern last season, Tuchel will be unveiled as the third foreign holder of the role after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, but leading pundit Gary Lineker isn’t sure the Three Lions have made the right choice.
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Former Manchester City and England right-back Micah Richards says Thomas Tuchel “is an outstanding manager and a proven winner”. Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast alongside Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, Richards added:
“The more damning thing is that we have not got an English candidate strong enough to take that [England] job. That is one of the most interesting things. I was of the opinion that you don’t need an English manager and it is about getting the best person for the job.
“I think Thomas Tuchel is an outstanding manager and a proven winner. I am not sure how he is going to fit all of these great players together because at Chelsea he played three at the back at times. He has also played with two number 10s as well.
“There are so many questions that need answering but we have to all agree that Tuchel is a winner. No matter where he comes from, he could be the difference between winning and losing.
“I understand why he has been given the job and I am excited to see what he can bring.”
Mike Jones16 October 2024 11:00
‘Exciting times’ says Prince William
Prince William, the President of the FA, says that confirming Thomas Tuchel as England manager means there are ‘exciting times ahead’ for the national team.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the Prince of Wales said: “Exciting times for @England, with a generation of talented players and a new manager taking the reins. Thomas, wishing you the best of luck, we’re all behind you! W”
Mike Jones16 October 2024 10:51
Thomas Tuchel confirms England assistant coach after Three Lions appointment
The German was officially confirmed as the successor to Gareth Southgate on Wednesday morning and and will begin work on 1 January 2025, with Lee Carsley continuing as interim boss for the remaining two Nations League matches next month.
Tuchel was officially announced as Three Lions boss on Wednesday morning and now his assistant has been named
Mike Jones16 October 2024 10:45
Lineker on Tuchel’s World Cup chances
Gary Lineker says Thomas Tuchel sees ‘unbelievable opportunity’ to win the World Cup with England. He said: “I respect Thomas Tuchel as coach. I think he’s really clever. I spoke to (German journalist) Raphael Honigstein and he said to me, ’60 per cent genius, 40 per cent lunatic’, or words to that effect.
“No one will care one iota (about his nationality) if England somehow manage to win the World Cup. He’s taken another team’s national squad and he will have done this because he would have looked at this squad and gone, ‘My goodness there’s so much talent in there’.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity of winning the greatest trophy of all and boy would I love him to do it.”
Mike Jones16 October 2024 10:38
Lineker questions dearth of English coaches
Gary Lineker echoed the views of Alan Shearer in that appointing Thomas Tuchel is not an issue but he did question why there seems to be a lack of top quality English coaches.
The former England forward said: “I don’t think it is imperative (to have an English manager). I’m not going to lose sleep over it. But my personal preference would be that England has an English coach.
“For some reason English football hasn’t produced a plethora of brilliant coaches. Why that is, I don’t know. I think that will happen.
“We are starting to see really good coaches coming through. But I think the reason that we have not produced great coaches is the fact that we were stuck in the past in terms of long-ball football. We were behind everybody else.”
Mike Jones16 October 2024 10:31
Shearer has no problem with Tuchel’s nationality
Thomas Tuchel’s German nationality will no doubt displease a certain section of fans, but Alan Shearer says he does not have a problem with it, stating: “If he’s the outstanding candidate, yeah.
“There’s no doubt he’s got an incredible CV, what he’s won and managing at the highest level, working with superstars. But this is going to be a very, very different test for him. It’s a bold move from the FA, there’s no doubt about it.
“We need a trophy, it’s as simple as that. And we need a manager that can deliver that.”
Mike Jones16 October 2024 10:24
Alan Shearer reacts to ThomasTuchel appointment
Alan Shearer believes the Football Association acted quickly to bring in Thomas Tuchel because of the possibility he could become Manchester United manager.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had also been a name in the frame to succeed Gareth Southgate, and former England striker Shearer told The Rest is Football podcast: “If they sounded out Pep, fine, he’s the best manager in the world.
“You then have to look at what’s available to you. They’ve looked at Thomas Tuchel and have thought there is a chance he could get the Manchester United job pretty soon.
“So opportunity lies now. If they didn’t act quick now they weren’t going to get one of the outstanding candidates for the job.”
Mike Jones16 October 2024 10:17
Thomas Tuchel becomes third foreign England manager
Thomas Tuchel is now the third foreign England manager, and the third different county represented, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italy’s Fabio Capello.
While that element is sure to bring debate from traditionalists in English football, especially given the nature of the football rivalry with Germany, the FA’s sole focus is bringing this era to fruition and winning the 2026 World Cup.
Should Tuchel and his backroom staff achieve that feat, the debate will be settled.
Mike Jones16 October 2024 10:11
Thomas Tuchel reacts after being confirmed as new England manager: ‘It’s a huge privilege’
Thomas Tuchel maintains it is “a huge privilege” to be confirmed as the new England manager.
And the former Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich manager is excited for the journey ahead on the road to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The German has been confirmed as the successor to Gareth Southgate and will be assisted by coach Anthony Barry
Mike Jones16 October 2024 10:04
Lee Carsley has full focus on England’s must-win rematch in Greece
Lee Carsley wishes the must-win trip to Greece was next week as England’s caretaker boss looks to atone for their Wembley wobble and end his interim reign with Nations League promotion.
September’s 2-0 wins away to the Republic of Ireland and Finland were encouraging, but the mood turned when Carsley’s experimental approach against Greece backfired last Thursday.
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