Thomas Tuchel is confirmed as England’s new everlasting supervisor

Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as England‘s new permanent manager on an 18-month contract.

The FA have been looking for Gareth Southgate‘s successor since he resigned two days after England’s Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain in July and have opted for the former Chelsea manager.

He will begin his £6m-a-year role on January 1, 2025, and becomes England’s third foreign manager after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the FA confirmed Tuchel signed his contract last Tuesday and will be assisted by former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach Anthony Barry.

Upon his appointment, Tuchel said: ‘I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team. 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.

Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has been named as England’s new permanent manager

He replaces Gareth Southgate following his resignation after the Euro 2024 final in July

Interim boss Lee Carsley will remain in charge for England’s two internationals next month

‘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.’

Interim boss Lee Carsley will still take charge of the senior side for their Nations League matches with Greece and Republic of Ireland next month, before Tuchel leads England into the 2026 World Cup.

Tuchel’s appointment brings to an end the uncertainty that has surrounded the England job since Southgate’s departure, with Carsley failing to confirm whether he was interested in taking the position on a full-time basis.

He appeared to be in pole position after leading England to consecutive wins over Republic of Ireland and Finland last month, but a damaging loss to Greece at Wembley hurt his hopes, and Carsley subsequently admitted he was looking forward to ‘hopefully’ returning to the Under 21s.

The FA have since acted quickly and brought in Tuchel after previously making contact with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to gauge his interest in the job.

Tuchel has a glittering CV at club level, but has never managed an international side. 

The 51-year-old has managed six teams, including Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Bayern Munich.

The England job will be his first since he left Bayern at the end of last season.

Tuchel famously led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, just four months after replacing Frank Lampard in the Stamford Bridge dugout.

He also won the Club World Cup with the Blues, and has claimed league titles at PSG and Bayern.

Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 as they beat Man City in the final

The German manager also won the Club World Cup with the Blues the following year

But he moved on from the German giants after they finished third in the Bundesliga last term. 

Tuchel has now been tasked with leading England’s men’s team to major tournament glory for the first time since 1966.

His predecessor Southgate took England to successive Euros finals in 2021 and 2024, but was unable to get his side over the line.

The Three Lions were beaten on penalties by Italy three years ago at Wembley, and fell short again in the summer as they lost 2-1 to Spain in Berlin.

England were criticised for their playing style at times under Southgate, particularly at the most recent Euros, and Tuchel will now aim to make the team easier on the eye while also finding a winning formula.

The next World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada is just over 18 months away, as England aim to end almost six decades of hurt.

Sven-Goran Eriksson was England’s first foreign manager but couldn’t lead the ‘Golden Generation’ to glory

Fabio Capello was England’s second foreign boss and Tuchel will become the third

The FA will hope Tuchel can fare better than England’s two previous foreign managers after Eriksson and Capello failed to lead the nation to glory.

Eriksson guided England’s ‘Golden Generation’ to three successive quarter-finals but no further, while Capello could only take the team to the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup before they were thrashed 4-1 by Germany.