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Thomas Tuchel has agreed to replace Gareth Southgate as manager of the English men’s national football team.
England confirmed the hire on Wednesday after it was previously reported the two sides had come to terms on Tuesday by The Times.
Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports previously reported England was in contract talks with Tuchel and he could “quickly be confirmed” as the new manager.
Tuchel, who is a 51-year-old veteran manager from Germany, has extensive managerial experience at some of the top clubs in the world, including Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Harry Kane, who played under Tuchel at Bayern Munich, spoke about the reports on Tuesday:
Florian Plettenberg @Plettigoal
🚨🏴 Excl | Harry <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kane?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Kane</a> comments on the negotiations between the English FA and Thomas <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tuchel?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Tuchel</a>, via <a href=”https://twitter.com/Sky_Torben?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Sky_Torben</a>: 💬<br><br>”Until it’s announced obviously I can’t really comment, but we have to wait and see. Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic… <a href=”https://t.co/0czmwsbuU9″>pic.twitter.com/0czmwsbuU9</a>
Per Dorsett, Jürgen Klopp, Graham Potter and Eddie Howe had previously been considered strong candidates for England’s managerial opening as well, plus the FA reportedly reached out to Pep Guardiola shortly after Southgate’s resignation in July.
Despite that, there has been no real movement on those fronts, and FA technical director John McDermott was reportedly locked in on Tuchel due to his desire to hire a manager with a track record of winning major trophies.
Tuchel undoubtedly fits the bill, as he won two Ligue 1 titles at PSG, one UEFA Champions League title at Chelsea and one Bundesliga title at Bayern Munich.
It has been decades since England’s last major title, as they won their only World Cup back in 1966 and have never won the UEFA European Championship.
During Southgate’s time at the Three Lions helm from 2016 to 2024, England came close to breaking through on multiple occasions.
They finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup and reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 2022, plus they finished as the runner-up at both Euro 2020 and 2024.
Their Euro 2024 loss was especially heartbreaking since they scored an equalizer in the 73rd minute only to lose on an 86th-minute goal by Spain.
Should England ultimately appoint Tuchel, he would become only the third foreign manager in the history of the English national team, joining Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
The FA has reportedly stepped up its efforts to find Southgate’s successor recently, especially in the wake of a 2-1 loss to Greece in the UEFA Nations League last week under interim manager Lee Carsley.