England to unveil Tuchel, new manager

Thomas Tuchel is set to be named England’s new manager after agreeing a deal with the Football Association (FA), multiple British and German media outlets reported on Tuesday.

The Times, Sky Sports, the BBC, and the German newspaper Bild said that Tuchel, 51, will be named as the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate.

The FA declined to comment on the reports but said that CEO Mark Bullingham will provide an update on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium when the appointment is expected to be confirmed.

The German, who has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season, would become just the third foreign manager of the Three Lions after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

Sky Germany reported he will sign an 18-month deal from January 1, 2025, until the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

A former coach of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern, Tuchel has the trophy-winning pedigree that the FA is seeking to help end a 58-year wait to win a major tournament.

However, the move has drawn criticism over the FA’s unwillingness to trust an English coach with its top job.

Tuchel won league titles at PSG and Bayern and the German Cup with Dortmund, but his greatest success came during his time in English football at Chelsea.

He led the Blues to Champions League glory just months after taking charge in 2021 and also won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup with the London club.

Tuchel was sacked in September 2022 in a bold early move by Chelsea’s new ownership group that did not pay off.

– ‘Fantastic coach’ –

Just six months later he was appointed Bayern boss and led them to an 11th consecutive Bundesliga title.

However, Tuchel also oversaw the demise of Bayern’s dominance of German football in a first trophyless campaign last season for 12 years.

Lee Carsley was put in temporary charge of England in August following Southgate’s resignation shortly after losing the final of Euro 2024.

However, the 50-year-old, who stepped up from his role as under-21s manager, has since given mixed messages about whether he wanted the job permanently.

Despite winning three of his four games in charge, Carsley’s case was further damaged by a 2-1 Nations League defeat to Greece last week and he backed the idea of appointing a foreign coach if they are the right candidate.

“We’ve seen in the past that we’ve had different nationalities coach the team. The best candidate should get the job,” said Carsley.

“I think we’d be putting ourselves in a corner if we didn’t, and we didn’t open our minds a bit.”

Carsley could remain in charge of games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month if Tuchel does not take over until the new year.

Tuchel will inherit a richly talented generation of players, including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer, that will be among the favourites for World Cup glory in 2026.

Kane was signed by Tuchel for Bayern last year and scored 44 goals in 45 matches under his tutelage.

“I know Thomas well from last year,” Kane told Sky Germany. “Fantastic coach, fantastic person, so I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me when they know more about it.”

Southgate led the Three Lions to back-to-back Euros finals, plus a World Cup semi-final and a quarter-final in his four major tournaments in charge.

England, though, are still yet to win a major men’s tournament since the 1966 World Cup.

AFP