- Thomas Tuchel was appointed as the new England manager on Wednesday
- Lee Carsley had been criticised for his confusing comments over the past week
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
The FA have revealed the date when new England boss Thomas Tuchel signed his contract to succeed Gareth Southgate.
Tuchel, 51, who has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich in the summer, was confirmed as the Three Lions manager on Wednesday morning, with the German coach set to start his role on January 1.
Over recent months, several candidates – both English and foreign – were touted to be the permanent successor to Southgate, who resigned after England’s Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain in July.
On Tuesday, news broke that Tuchel – who will be joined by assistant coach Anthony Barry – had become the leading candidate for the role after talks accelerated, before it was revealed last night that the former Chelsea and Bayern boss had agreed to take the job.
However, despite this, the FA revealed in their statement announcing Tuchel’s appointment that details had been sorted out and signed more than a week ago.
The FA have revealed the date when new England boss Thomas Tuchel signed his contract
Tuchel was confirmed by the FA as the Three Lions’ new manager on Wednesday morning
Lee Carsley had faced criticism for his confusing comments in the media over the past week
They said: ‘The decision to recruit Tuchel and Barry was approved by the FA Board early last week, with Tuchel signing his contract on Tuesday 8 October.
‘The announcement was delayed to minimise distraction around the international camp that has just concluded.
‘The confidential process, which saw several candidates interviewed, was led by FA CEO Mark Bullingham and men’s technical director John McDermott, and saw Tuchel identified as the preferred appointment.’
The revelation by the FA that Tuchel signed his contract on October 8 certainly puts some of interim boss’ Lee Carsley’s press conference meanderings over the past week in to welcome context.
Carsley had been criticised in the recent international break for his increasingly confusing comments about his suitability for the role.
Not even Carsley himself seemed to want the job, with the boss saying he would ‘hopefully…be going back to the [under]-21s’ at one point.
He then created further confusion following another win over lowly Finland on Sunday, claiming the Three Lions role was for ‘a world class coach who’s won trophies’, before later stressing that this did not rule him out.
However, given the decision to appoint Tuchel had been confirmed before Carsley spoke to the media last week, his comments now make a lot more sense.
Alongside Bayern, Tuchel previously managed the likes of Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, famously lifting the Champions League with the Blues back in 2021.
The German coach could be viewed as a sensible choice for an England side looking to win their first trophy in almost 60 years, given his pedigree.
While at PSG, Tuchel won six honours, while he led Bayern to the Bundesliga title and also lifted the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup alongside the Champions League when in charge of Chelsea.
However, he may also be viewed as a controversial option, given he is a non-English coach, with England having not had a foreign manager in charge since Fabio Capello exited the role in 2012.
The FA’s revelation Tuchel’s deal was signed last week adds context to Carsley’s comments
Tuchel has signed an 18-month deal where he will hope to lead England to the 2026 World Cup
In fact, Tuchel has become just the third non-English manager to lead the England Men’s team.
The German – who has signed a contract worth £6million-per-year – 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.
A press conference marking his appointment is expected to be held at Wembley today at 1.30pm, which will be attended by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.