Thomas Tuchel has agreed to become the new England manager following successful talks with the Football Association (FA).
Tuchel is set to be announced as England’s new permanent manager tomorrow (October 16). The German, one of the most decorated managers in Europe, has been out of work since stepping down as head coach of Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
The 51-year-old’s backroom team is expected to be a combination of both his and FA staff, while England’s current interim manager Lee Carsley said last week that he hoped to return to the position as head coach of England’s Under-21 side.
The terms of Tuchel’s contract will include a bonus for winning the World Cup, the next edition of which will be staged in 2026 across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Pep Guardiola was the FA’s top choice to replace Gareth Southgate and the admiration for the Catalan remains. The 53-year-old’s Manchester City contract is due to expire at the end of this season and he is yet to make a decision on his future.
Tuchel worked with England captain Harry Kane during his spell at the German club, while Tuchel is familiar with the majority of England’s squad from his time in the Premier League as Chelsea head coach.
The FA have made their move for Southgate’s permanent successor with interim manager Carsley saying the national team needed a “world-class coach” to lead the country into the next World Cup in 2026.
Carsley, 50, was placed in temporary charge after Southgate resigned in July following England’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Carsley has won three of his four Nations League matches in charge of the senior side, but last week’s 2-1 defeat at home to Greece damaged England’s hopes of winning their group.
Tuchel, meanwhile, was spoken to by Manchester United last summer, getting as far as discussing financial terms before they opted to keep manager Erik ten Hag. Tuchel has again been spoken of as a potential successor for Ten Hag as pressure has increased on the Dutchman in recent weeks.
The former Chelsea head coach was previously considered for the top job at Old Trafford following Ralf Rangnick’s departure before the club opted to hire Ten Hag.
Tuchel will become the third foreign manager to take charge of the English men’s national team — after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello — and the first German.
Tuchel began his managerial career at Mainz before stints at Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, where he led the club to the final of the Champions League in 2020.
He replaced Frank Lampard as Chelsea head coach in January 2021 and went on to lead the club to their second Champions League title later that season, beating Guardiola’s City in the final.
Tuchel went on to add the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup later that year but was sacked a month into the 2022-23 season by new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.
He led Bayern to a record-extending 33rd Bundesliga title — his first German league crown as manager — in May 2023 having replaced Julian Nagelsmann two months prior but was unable to retain it, with Bayer Leverkusen instead winning their first Bundesliga title earlier this year.
(Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
