England Appoint Former Chelsea Manager to Replace Southgate
Former Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel has been handed with the responsibility of the Three Lions after he came up as the “preferred” choice having been subjected to a “confidential process” alongside other interested candidates.
He will replace Gareth Southgate who resigned from the post after England’s defeat to Spain in the 2024 Euros and be assisted by Anthony Barry, England said in a press statement on Wednesday.
“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 – who has signed an 18-month contract – identified as the preferred appointment.”
The 51-year-old penned an 18-month contract on Tuesday, 8th October with the England Football Association (EFA), explaining that the announcement was delayed to minimise distraction around the international camp that has just concluded.
According to Bullingham, the appointment of Tuchel was thoroughly done as a “contingency plan” and had been outlined prior to the EURO.
He noted that Thomas “stood out” among other candidates with Anthony carving a niche for himself as a top English talent.
“Fundamentally we wanted to hire a coaching team to give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that. Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.”
Tuchel looks forward to taking his new duty alongside Anthony next year.
“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.”
Until January 2025, the Three Lions will remain under the supervision of interim manager Lee Carsley but will return to the U21 team when Tuchel takes over.
He will therefore superintend over the conclusion of the UEFA Nations League group stage next month, with decisive games away to Greece and at home to the Republic of Ireland.
Tuchel coached Chelsea between January 2021 and September 2022, winning the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup but subsequently got sacked.
From there, he took a job with Bayern Munich but exited the position after the club failed to win the Bundesliga for the first time in 12 years under his regime.
Tuchel has formerly coached Borussia Dortmund and Paris St-Germain and is credited with winning a German Cup and two Ligue 1 titles respectively.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
