File picture of German football coach Thomas Tuchel
| Photo Credit: AP
Former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has signed a contract to become the new England manager, Sky Sports News reported on Tuesday (October 15, 2024).
The German is set to become the third foreign manager to take charge of the England men’s team, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
Tuchel, who led Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021, will replace interim boss Lee Carsley three months after Gareth Southgate resigned following England’s defeat by Spain in the European Championship final in July.
The 51-year-old Tuchel 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 VfB Stuttgart.
England’s Football Association is holding a news conference at Wembley on Wednesday with chief executive Mark Bullingham.
Tuchel built his reputation as a forward-thinking tactician in the Bundesliga after taking over from Juergen 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 St Germain the following year, replacing Unai Emery and winning back-to-back French league titles. Tuchel also took PSG to their first Champions League final in 2020, which they lost to Bayern, before leaving for Chelsea.
Taking over the England national team represents a new challenge for the German, who will be tasked with delivering a first major trophy since England won the World Cup on home soil in 1966.
The job is also among the most intensely scrutinised in football, with Southgate opening up during the European Championship on the difficulties of dealing with the personal nature of much of the criticism.
According to British media reports, the FA informally 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 was hesitant when asked if he was interested in the permanent position, repeatedly saying his remit was to guide 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 that has won trophies”.
Published – October 16, 2024 10:25 am IST
