The Football Association is in advanced talks with Thomas Tuchel over appointing him as the next England manager and it is understood that a deal could be put in place quickly. The organisation has had Tuchel on its shortlist to find Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor since the beginning of the process, a list that also included Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and the interim manager, Lee Carsley, among others.
It has zeroed in on Tuchel, who led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021 – the highlight on an impressive CV – and there is an expectation that he can be persuaded to take on the challenge. Tuchel has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich in May. The FA declined to comment on a process that it has always described as confidential.
The German stands to become the third foreign manager of the England men’s team after Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. The FA’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, who is leading the recruitment process alongside the technical director, John McDermott, has long been clear that nationality should be no barrier to the role.
Bullingham made the point during the European Championship in June that the England women head coach, Sarina Wiegman, is Dutch. In others words, the FA was and is perfectly happy to put its trust in someone from outside England.
There is no doubt that Tuchel is an anglophile. He speaks excellent English – a prerequisite for the FA in terms of an overseas candidate – and he embraced his 18 months or so at Chelsea, becoming a cult hero to their fans.
Tuchel’s skills as an orator and a leader came to the fore when he spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite Chelsea being owned at the time by a Russian, Roman Abramovich. Tuchel found that he loved the more personality-driven aspect of the British media.
Tuchel's Track Record and Style
The 51-year-old is uncompromising and left his previous four jobs under something of a cloud, reports of fallouts with players and directors following his exits from – in chronological order – Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern.
On the other hand, when Tuchel hits his stride, he has the ability to energise and inspire, to build momentum. Hugely charismatic, he has a proven track record at the highest level, winning everything on the domestic front at PSG before narrowly failing to deliver them a maiden Champions League trophy, losing in the 2020 final to Bayern. He would make up for that on a personal level at Chelsea. At Dortmund, he had won the DFB-Pokal. At Bayern, he would win the Bundesliga.
Tuchel's Potential Impact on England
Tuchel would be expected to bring the English coach Anthony Barry with him, having worked with him at Chelsea and Bayern. Barry is an assistant to the Portugal manager, Roberto Martínez.
The FA had given serious consideration to promoting Carsley on a permanent basis from his role as the England Under-21s coach only for doubts to emerge about his suitability, not to mention whether he actually wanted the job. Carsley was heavily criticised for the performance of his team in last Thursday’s 2-1 Wembley loss to Greece and has struggled at times to communicate effectively in media conferences.
The FA reached out to Guardiola at the beginning of the process but prising him away from City was always considered a long shot. Eddie Howe and Graham Potter have been the leading English candidates. Howe is focused on his work at Newcastle, where his contract has a release clause of about £5m. Potter, between jobs after leaving Chelsea in April 2023, is leaning more towards a return to club management.
Tuchel's Appointment: A Bold Move for English Football
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has held talks with the Football Association about becoming the next England manager. England have been without a permanent manager since Gareth Southgate resigned following the Three Lions' Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain.
Lee Carsley was placed in charge on an interim basis “with a view to remaining in the position throughout autumn” while the FA assessed suitable options.
An approach was also made for Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola in the summer to see if had an interest in the England role. Neither the FA or Manchester City would comment publicly when approached by BBC Sport.
Tuchel left Bayern Munich in May, despite still having a year to run on his contract, as the German giants failed to win the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2011-12. He has also previously managed Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Paris St-Germain.
Tuchel, 51, was Chelsea boss between January 2021 and September 2022 - winning the Champions League, Fifa Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup before being sacked. In June, Tuchel ruled himself out of the running to take over at Manchester United - it was understood that he met Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in France.
If appointed, Tuchel would become the third non-British permanent manager of the England men's team after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
Southgate spent eight years in charge of England and is the only manager bar 1966 World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey to lead the England men's team into a major tournament final, doing so at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. He managed England at four major tournaments, also reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and quarter-finals in 2022.
Carsley has overseen three victories and one defeat in the Nations League since stepping up to cover the role. Like Southgate, Carsley was previously England Under-21s boss and guided the team to the European U21 Championship in 2023.
After winning his first two games as interim England manager, Carsley tasted defeat against Greece at Wembley on Thursday before Finland were beaten 3-1 in Helsinki on Sunday. Following the loss to Greece, Carsley said he would “hopefully be going back to the under-21s”.
After the win over Finland, the 50-year-old insisted it was “definitely” wrong to say he had ruled himself out of the running for the permanent job, but said England deserve a “world-class coach” and conceded he “is still on the path to that”. Among the names previously linked with the permanent vacancy are Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter.
What are the key questions?
Tuchel’s appointment would undoubtedly be a bold move for English football. While the FA has stated that nationality is not a barrier, it remains to be seen how English fans and the media would react to a foreign manager at the helm. Tuchel’s track record suggests that he could be a successful manager for England, but it will be crucial to see how he adapts to the unique pressures of managing the national team.
This is a story that is still developing, and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds in the coming weeks. The FA’s search for a new manager is a pivotal moment for English football, and Tuchel’s potential appointment will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the future of the Three Lions.
