Michael Owen has admitted he is ‘disappointed’ that the next England manager is not English after Thomas Tuchel was announced as the new national team boss.
The German was confirmed as Gareth Southgate’s successor on an 18-month contract on Wednesday to become England’s third foreign manager after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
Ever since the news broke of his appointment, a number of former footballers and managers have criticised the FA’s decision to appoint a coach from abroad.
And Owen, who scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for England, admitted his disappointment about the next manager not being homegrown in a post on X, formally known as Twitter.
However, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid forward also said the appointment was ‘top quality’, adding that Tuchel was a ‘proven winner with a great understanding of the English game’.
Tuchel has a glittering CV at club level – winning 11 major trophies whilst managing Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Bayern.
But some within the game believe the top job in the English football should not be given to a foreign coach.
Thomas Tuchel has has agreed to become the new manager of the Three Lion and is expected to fly in this week to sign a contract worth £5million a year
Owen, who scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for England, admitted his disappointment about the next manager not being homegrown in a post on X
The former Chelsea boss worked with England captain Harry Kane (pictured with Jude Bellingham) at Bayern Munich last season
Owen also said Tuchel was a ‘top quality appointment’ as the German was a ‘proven winner with a great understanding of the English game’
Former managers Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp were just some of the high-profile names within the football world who were disappointed by the FA’s announcement.
Allardyce, who managed England for one game in 2016, said the country’s governing body had ‘gone against’ what they had been building in the last eight years under Southgate – who left the job after the heartbreaking Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain .
And Redknapp, who was once a favorite to manage the national team whilst working at Tottenham in 2012, felt the Tuchel had not been a ‘massive success’ in his previous roles.
Redknapp told Sky Sports: ‘I wanted an Englishman to manage England. I’m very patriotic and I think we should have an English manager.
‘But the field was very small to choose from because Englishmen don’t get jobs managing in the Premier League very often now. All the clubs are owned by foreign owners and they bring a foreign manager in.’
Allardyce echoed the thoughts of his fellow countrymen and argued that English managers such as Lee Carsely, Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard would have been better suited to the role.
Speaking to TalkSPORT’s Alan Brazil and Dean Saunders this morning, the 69-year-old said: ‘The FA have gone against building and developing their own [manager] from within. For me that could have been Lee Carsely, or Eddie Howe or even Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard.
‘The Premier League nullifies the development of English coaches, because it is so difficult to get in there now. It is very disappointing that we have gone down this road. A short-term look for a success route instead of development from Gareth onwards.
‘It’s almost like they panicked because they lost to Greece [last Monday in the Nations League] and asked “who can we get now?”. It’s really disappointing.’
The German will start work in January on a deal that runs for 18 months – meaning the 2026 World Cup in North America could be his only tournament in charge.
Tuchel’s trophy-winning record is of obvious appeal to the FA, but he also knows English football well. He won the Champions League as Chelsea boss in 2021 and worked with England captain Harry Kane at Bayern Munich last season.
But Redknapp does not believe the 51-year-old’s record warrants his appointment into international football.
He added: ‘He’s lost his job quite quickly at a couple of clubs. It’s not like he’s been a massive success. He’s come and gone at a couple of clubs. He’s not been like Jurgen Klopp who has stayed at club many. many years.
Manager Harry Redknapp, a former contender for the job himself, was disappointed by The FA’s decision to look abroad for their next appointment
Redknapp (pictured) does not believe the 51-year-old’s record warrants his appointment into international football
Allardyce told Alan Brazil (left) and Dean Saunders (right) that England had ‘panicked’ in appointing Tuchel
Former England defender Danny Mills said there were a ‘few surprises’ around Tuchel’s appointment
‘People keep saying “you have got to be a great coach” and “this man is a great coach”. There are no great coaches. You have to have a bit of common sense, pick the best players, put them in the right position, get the best of out of them, build an atmosphere and make them feel great about themselves. That’s what it is.’
Former Norwich and West Ham striker Dean Ashton shared Redknapp’s views and claimed he was ‘underwhelmed’ by the appointment.
Ashton said: ‘I don’t particularly enjoy watching a Thomas Tuchel team. I think it’s more of a defensive structure. Yes, he won the Champions League with Chelsea, but Frank Lampard had got them through the group stages and [Manchester City manager] Pep Guardiola picked a totally bizzare team in the final.’
Stuart Pearce, who won 78 England caps and managed the under-21 side between 2007 and 2013, believes a lot will be immediately expected of Tuchel.
He told TalkSPORT: ‘When Gareth left in the summer people were saying, “We need to go the next step”.
‘Where is the next step from getting to finals and being runner-up? The next step is winning trophies. That will be the expectation and I think he’s got a really tough tournament in a-year-and-a-half to attempt to win the World Cup in the (United) States, Mexico and Canada. That’s a tough prospect.’
Former England defender Danny Mills said there were a ‘few surprises’ around Tuchel’s appointment: ‘He is an exceptional coach. There are a few surprises. I don’t understand why he starts in January.
‘Who is going to be picking the team in November? Will Tuchel be at the games? Will he have any input? And the FA need to answer why not an Englishman? Why have they gone down a foreign route again? But Tuchel is a fantastic coach and will do very, very well.’
Thomas Tuchel, 51, has signed a deal to become the next England manager and is the first non-English boss of the men’s national side since 2012
A press conference to announce his appointment is expected to be held at Wembley tomorrow at 1.30pm, which will be attended by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham
The German, 51, will permanently replace Gareth Southgate as Three Lions boss who stepped down in the summer after the heartbreaking Euro 2024 final loss to Spain
Some within the game were more positive about the appointment. Former Liverpool, Blackburn and Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock said Tuchel had a ‘clear identity’ in his style of play.
Warnock said: ‘I like the appointment. I think he has a clear identity. He doesn’t have to sign players, so just focusing on the best players might just suit him.
‘I do see the argument where does it leave English coaches but I think he will bring English coaches in.’
Former England defender Matthew Upson said Tuchel ‘ticked most boxes’.
He said: ‘I think its a good appointment. He ticks most of the boxes; the trophies, the clubs he has managed, his character. He has handled tricky situations in the media so he has the profile to handle being the England manager.
‘is it a preference they are English? Yes. But ultimately we want to put the best person in place, who we feel will win a major tournament.’
Tuchel will begin his new £6m-a-year role on January 1, 2025.
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.
The FA sounded out candidates including Pep Guardiola and Eddie Howe for the job, which Lee Carsley is currently doing on an interim basis, after Southgate stepped down.
But talks between Tuchel and The FA accelerated rapidly, with the governing body aware of interest in the 51-year-old from Manchester United, who are considering the future of boss Erik ten Hag.
A United defeat by Brentford on Saturday could see Ten Hag sacked, and Tuchel was certain to be in the running to replace him, having already met Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the summer to discuss taking over at Old Trafford.
Tuchel’s trophy-winning record is of obvious appeal to the FA, but he also knows English football well. He won the Champions League as Chelsea boss in 2021 and worked with England captain Harry Kane at Bayern Munich last season.
It is understood Tuchel is effectively on gardening leave after quitting Bayern last summer, which could have financial implications for the FA but nothing serious enough to derail the deal.
Tuchel, who has been a regular visitor to London since leaving Chelsea in 2022, wants to return to work and the England job proved too attractive to turn down.
English coach Anthony Barry, who worked with Tuchel at Chelsea and Bayern before taking up his current role with Portugal, is likely to reunite with Tuchel at St George’s Park.
Carsley, whose prospects of taking the job on a permanent basis took a hit when his ultra-attacking England line-up were beaten by Greece at Wembley last week, will stay in charge for next month’s Nations League rematch with the Greeks and the closing group game against the Republic of Ireland.
Mail Sport reported on Saturday that the FA had significant reservations about whether Carsley even wanted to succeed Gareth Southgate on a full-time basis.
Those doubts had only grown over recent days following a series of public comments by the 50-year-old that seemed to distance him from the vacancy.
Carsley had support at the FA but the sense that he was not fully convinced about taking the reins led the FA to rule their Under 21 manager out of the running and move for Tuchel instead.
The German has an impressive CV having previously won the Champions League while manager of Chelsea
England U21 boss Lee Carsley has been in interim charge of the Three Lions since Southgate’s departure
Tuchel has been out of work since leaving German giants Bayern Munich in May
The German is the first non-English boss of England since Fabio Capello (pictured) quit in 2012
Manchester City boss Guardiola was viewed as the governing body’s dream candidate but the FA had not received any encouragement from him since an approach in July.
Tuchel’s appointment means England will be the only leading football nation to have foreign managers of both their men’s and women’s teams.
The Lionesses’ boss is Sarina Wiegman, from the Netherlands. The FA must hope Tuchel will have a similar impact to Wiegman, who led England to Euros glory in 2022.
Tuchel has an impressive CV having won league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, as well as the Champions League, Super Cup, and Club World Cup at Chelsea.
But it will no doubt be seen as a controversial move by the FA due to England’s rivalry with his native Germany.
England captain Harry Kane played under Tuchel at Bayern Munich last season and spoke earlier today about his former boss’s links to the job.
‘Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic person, so I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me when they know more about it,’ he said.
Tuchel’s first game in charge is likely to be in March and a qualifier for the 2026 World Cup.
The 51-year-old had recently been told he was Man United’s No 1 target if they decided to axe Ten Hag, according to reports.
United courted the German in the summer but opted to stick with Ten Hag despite their dismal start to the season.