Sam Allardyce has launched a scathing attack on the FA for choosing Thomas Tuchel as the new England manager over a homegrown coach.
The FA confirmed the appointment of the ex-Chelsea boss on Wednesday. Tuchel will begin his role in January, while interim manager Lee Carsley will stay at the helm for England’s upcoming Nations League games next month. The FA has been searching for a successor to Gareth Southgate, whose eight-year spell began after Allardyce’s one-game reign came to a controversial end in 2016.
Tuchel is fresh off a spell with Bayern Munich and enjoyed a trophy-laden run with Chelsea, bagging both the Champions League and Club World Cup. However, Big Sam has claimed that the FA have torn up their long-term plans by overlooking English contenders for the Three Lions job.
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“England is the best, or one of the best, jobs you can get. Even though I was only there a short time, it’s still one of the best jobs you can get, you can’t deny that if you’re an Englishman,” Allardyce told talkSPORT. “The problem with the FA is they’ve gone against everything that they were doing in terms of building and developing their own from within.
“For me, that could have been Lee Carsley. If not, they could have gone all out for Eddie Howe or even Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard in the end because you’ve got a quality squad.”
“You have to be up there or thereabouts, I think, for anybody to consider you as the English national coach,” he added. “I think that’s why I would have picked Eddie Howe and gone all out for it.”
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Howe has earned plenty of praise for taking Newcastle on a Champions League journey in 2023 and is one of only five British bosses in the Premier League. England U21 boss Carsley won the Euros last year, while Liverpool legend is Al-Ettifaq manager. Lampard has been out of work since his second spell at Chelsea in 2023. Despite the limited options, Allardyce believes the FA is wrong for picking Tuchel over English talent.
“The problem is the Premier League nullifies the development of English or British coaches because it’s so difficult to get in there now,” Allardyce argued. “The whole world wants to play and manage in the Premier League. It is a difficult job but it’s very disappointing that we’ve gone down this road. This short-term look for success route instead of development from [Southgate] onwards.”
Up next, the Three Lions will aim to top their Nations League group against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month. With Tuchel officially taking charge in 2025, his first England squad will be revealed in March.