Thomas Tuchel has said he is excited to get to work with a ‘special’ group of players after being named England manager.
The FA have announced that Tuchel has been appointed as the new head coach of the Three Lions, and the German will begin work on January 1st 2025 ahead of the qualification process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, due to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Tuchel replaces Gareth Southgate as permanent manager, with interim boss Lee Carsley to remain in charge for November’s international break. He will be assisted by English coach Anthony Barry.
The 51-year-old arrives with an impressive résumé having won league titles in France and Germany, alongside the 2021 Champions League with Chelsea.
Tuchel said he feels honoured to have been handed the opportunity to manage England, given his ‘personal connection to the game in this country’.
“I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” he said, as per England football.
“I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already. To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.
“Working closely with Anthony as my assistant coach, we will do everything we can to make England successful and the supporters proud. I want to thank the FA, in particular Mark and John, for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.”
Tuchel ‘one of the best coaches in the world’.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said England were delighted to appoint ‘one of the best coaches in the world’.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him. Our recruitment process has been very thorough.
“Before the EUROs we had a contingency plan and outlined exactly the qualities we would be looking for in a coach. Since Gareth resigned, we have worked through the candidate pool, meeting a number of coaches and evaluating them against that criteria. Thomas was very impressive and stood out with his vast expertise and his drive. Anthony is a top English talent and also has international experience with Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Portugal.
“Fundamentally we wanted to hire a coaching team to give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that. Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.
“I would like to thank Lee for stepping up and doing everything we asked of him – he is a very talented coach and a major part of our England pathway. He will now focus on retaining the U21 EURO title in the summer. These are exciting times for England fans at senior and MU21 level, and we look forward to welcoming Thomas and Anthony when they begin work in January.”
