File photo of German soccer coach Thomas Tuchel | Photo: AP
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has signed a contract to become England’s new manager, Sky Sports News reported on Tuesday (October 15, 2024).
The German will become the third foreign manager to take charge of the England men’s team after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italy’s Fabio Capello.
Tuchel, who led Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021, will replace interim boss Lee Carsley three months later Gareth Southgate resigned following England’s defeat by Spain in the European Championship final in July.
Tuchel, 51, has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season after the German giants finished third in the Bundesliga, behind Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart.
The FA is holding a press conference at Wembley on Wednesday with chief executive Mark Bullingham.
Tuchel built his reputation as a visionary tactician in the Bundesliga after taking over from Jurgen Klopp at Mainz 05 in 2009.
When Klopp left Borussia Dortmund at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, Tuchel also replaced him there, leading the team to German Cup success in 2017.
He joined Paris Saint-Germain the following year, replacing Unai Emery and winning back-to-back French league titles. Tuchel also led PSG to their first Champions League final in 2020, which they lost to Bayern before leaving for Chelsea.
Taking charge of the England national team presents a new challenge for the German, who will be tasked with securing the first major trophy since England won the World Cup on home soil in 1966.
The job is also among the most intensely scrutinized in football, with Southgate speaking at the European Championships about the difficulty of dealing with the personal nature of much of the criticism.
According to British media reports, the FA unofficially reached out to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola at the start of the season. Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
Carsley hesitated when asked if he was interested in the permanent position, repeatedly saying his job was to lead the team through six games. He appeared to distance himself from the position after Sunday’s 3-1 win over Finland when he said the job “deserves a world-class coach who has won trophies”.
Published – October 16, 2024, 10:25 AM IST
