Soccer

‘Sorry I have a German passport’: Thomas Tuchel unveiled as new England manager

Former Chelsea manager will take over on January 1st with Anthony Barry as No 2

Thomas Tuchel speaks to the media during a press conference as he is announced as the new England manager at Wembley Stadium. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel speaks to the media during a press conference as he is announced as the new England manager at Wembley Stadium. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Jacob Steinberg
Wed Oct 16 2024 - 18:16

Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor as England’s manager and will start his role on January 1st after being handed an 18-month deal.

The English Football Association’s pursuit of the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich manager was kept a closely guarded secret by all parties involved in negotiations. Tuchel, who has followed Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello to become the third foreigner to take charge of the England senior men’s team, signed his deal at the start of last week and word of his appointment did not break until after England had faced Finland and Greece in the Nations League.

The deal will take Tuchel into the 2026 World Cup, where he will be expected to lead the men’s team to silverware for the first time since 1966. The 51-year-old, who will earn about £5 million (€6 million) a year, addressed the negative reaction in some quarters to a German getting the job.

“I’m sorry, I have a German passport,” he said. “Everyone has their opinion and I can understand when someone says: ‘I would fancy an English coach for an English team’. All of those supporters maybe felt my passion for the English Premier League and the country and how I love to live and work here.

READ MORE

“I think we deserve a fair chance and the credit for having a good record in the country and never being shy of how much we love the country and love working with the players in the Premier League. Maybe this counts towards a British edge on my German passport. We will try to convince them with results and the way we play.”

Tuchel said he had not decided whether he will sing the national anthem before matches. “No matter what decision I take I will always show my respect to the country and a very moving anthem,” he said.

Tuchel has yearned for a return to England after being sacked by Chelsea in September 2022, and his tactical acumen convinced the FA to go for him over home-grown managers. A plus is that Tuchel developed a strong relationship with Harry Kane after taking him to Bayern last year.

Thomas Tuchel brought England captain Harry Kane to Bayern Munich last season. Photograph: Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel brought England captain Harry Kane to Bayern Munich last season. Photograph: Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images

Tuchel was asked whether he had spoken to Kane and whether the striker would continue as captain. “I didn’t speak to Harry, I didn’t speak to Gareth [Southgate],” he said. “I never normally do this to get my own point view. It’s too early to answer these kind of questions [about the captaincy]. You know how highly I think of Harry and how much I fought to bring him to Bayern Munich.”

The FA’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, said “approximately 10 people” had been spoken to in the recruitment process and that “some were more up for the role than others”. He said of Tuchel: “We believe he gives us the best chance of winning the World Cup so we believe we’ve got the best candidate for the job.”

Lee Carsley, who became the interim manager after Southgate resigned in the wake of England’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, took charge of the Finland and Greece games last week. The FA did not want the situation with Tuchel, who will be assisted by his close ally Anthony Barry, an English coach, to distract from preparations.

Carsley caused uncertainty by saying that he would “hopefully” be returning to his job as the under-21 set-up after England slumped to an embarrassing defeat by Greece at Wembley last Thursday. Confusion was caused by his inconsistent answers over whether he wanted to succeed Southgate. In reality Tuchel, who fits the remit of a world-class coach with a history of winning major trophies, had already taken the job. Carsley will step aside after next month’s Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

The FA had previously made an approach to the Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who is out of contract at the end of the season. Unlike Guardiola, Tuchel is ready and available now. He has been out of work since leaving Bayern at the end of last season. Tuchel, who led Chelsea to the Champions League in 2021, departed after a disappointing campaign saw Bayern’s dominance of the Bundesliga fizzle out.

Tuchel spoke to Manchester United about replacing Erik ten Hag last summer only for talks to break down. Ten Hag has remained under pressure and there was a chance of United returning to Tuchel. The FA have moved quickly to get their man.

The German quickly grew to enjoy working in England after joining Chelsea in January 2021. He brought the best out of several of Chelsea’s young English contingent and was an assured, insightful communicator with the media.

He followed his triumph in the Champions League with Club World Cup and European Super Cup victory. But his time at Stamford Bridge turned sour after the club were sold by Roman Abramovich in 2022. Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital sacked Tuchel six games into the 2022-23 season. – Guardian