Thomas Tuchel addresses controversial aspect of England appointment

Thomas Tuchel maintains he has “a personal connection to the game in this country” after being confirmed as the new England manager.

The FA has hired the German as the successor to Gareth Southgate, which has prompted a wider cultural debate about the manager’s role and the decision to appoint a non-English coach for the men’s national team.

Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp had maintained that the England manager should be English, despite conceding that “the field was very small to choose from.” But Tuchel, the former Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich manager, who will start on 1 January 2025, insists he has a deeper feeling with the country beyond football ahead of the road to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

“I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” Tuchel said. “I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already.

Comment: England appointing Thomas Tuchel shows as much desperation as inspiration

“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.

“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.”

While FA CEO Mark Bullingham added: “We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him. Our recruitment process has been very thorough. Before the Euros we had a contingency plan and outlined exactly the qualities we would be looking for in a coach. Since Gareth resigned, we have worked through the candidate pool, meeting a number of coaches and evaluating them against that criteria. Thomas was very impressive and stood out with his vast expertise and his drive. Anthony is a top English talent and also has international experience with Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Portugal.

“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.

“I would like to thank Lee for stepping up and doing everything we asked of him – he is a very talented coach and a major part of our England pathway. He will now focus on retaining the U21 EURO title in the summer. These are exciting times for England fans at senior and MU21 level, and we look forward to welcoming Thomas and Anthony when they begin work in January.”

Tuchel is now the third foreign England manager, and the third different county represented, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italy’s Fabio Capello. While that element may bring debate from traditionalists in English football, especially given the nature of the football rivalry with Germany, the FA’s sole focus is bringing this era to fruition and winning the 2026 World Cup.