New England manager Thomas Tuchel has one job and one job only according to legendary Three Lions striker Alan Shearer – to win the 2026 World Cup.
German Tuchel has been hired by the FA on an initial 18-month contract after Gareth Southgate stepped down from the role at the end of Euro 2024, which finished in more final heartbreak. Southgate had the best run as England boss of any manager since Sir Alf Ramsey won the 1966 World Cup, reaching back-to-back European Championship finals in 2020 and 2024 and the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
Goalscoring legend Shearer is sure Tuchel has been given the target of finally getting England over the finishing line and ending what will be 60 years of hurt at the 2026 finals in Canada, Mexico and USA – and that if he does manage it, then Manchester United‘s loss will be the Three Lions’ gain.
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Speaking to Betfair, Shearer said: “Obviously, his remit is one thing, it’s an 18-month contract, he’s here to win the World Cup. That’s it, and the length of contract suggests that. It’s something they haven’t done for almost 60 years and England need a trophy, that’s what he’s been brought in to do.
I would also guess it’s going to be a different role to the one that Gareth Southgate had, he oversaw all of the England teams and was responsible for so many other things too. I would guess Tuchel’s role is to win England the World Cup and that’s it.
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“With this group of players, it looks as though that’s what the FA will be saying to him, ‘The reason you’ve been brought in is to win us that trophy’.
“I hope he can go one step further, but there’s no guarantee, we thought that when they brought in Fabio Capello who had a fabulous CV, we thought that when they brought in Sven-Goran Eriksson who also had a fabulous CV. Thomas Tuchel has an incredible CV, he’s won trophies wherever he has been, he’s even won the biggest trophies. He’s hugely successful and I really hope he can do that for England, but only time will tell.
“The one difference to the other foreign managers England have had is that he’s had that experience here, he has managed in England before. He’ll be aware of things, and it will be a different pressure to what he’s had before, but he’s managed superstar players at Paris Saint-Germain, at Bayern Munich and at Chelsea and has been successful with them, but the England job is a different pressure.”
(Image: PA)
Shearer is happy with Tuchel’s appointment as England boss and says that the quick nature of his appointment suggests the German might have had other options coming up in this country.
He added: “Tuchel’s appointment as England manager happened really quickly, and this is only a guess, but maybe the FA had to move quickly in fear of losing what they thought was the outstanding candidate available.
“A club that isn’t doing well might have come in and got him, like Man United, who are really struggling, and their manager is under pressure. If the FA have exhausted their best options available, such as Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp or Eddie Howe then I have no problem with getting him in.”
(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
Former Blackburn and Newcastle striker Shearer says Howe wasn’t spoken to about the England role – and wonders what the knock-on effect of that might be for other young English managers in the game looking to advance their career to the international stage one day.
He said: “I’m reliably told they didn’t even sound Eddie Howe out, which I find really surprising. Young English coaches that are up and coming may think, ‘What’s the pathway?’. But if Tuchel is the outstanding candidate available then I have no problem with it, as long as they tried other options.”