The German has said it is a ‘huge privilege’ to manage England
Thomas Tuchel has been officially confirmed as the new England manager by the FA.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager had been without a club since he left Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
Despite being linked with Manchester United, has now taken the England job.
England were looking for a successor for Gareth Southgate who led England to two Euro finals.
Lee Carsley has been interim manager in the meantime, but the FA seem to have settled on a more experienced permanent choice.
Carsley will remain in charge of the Three Lions for their final two Nations League games next month, against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
He will then reprise his role as the head coach of England’s U21s.
The Football Association said Tuchel was the “preferred candidate” from the “several” they had interviewed.
It said the FA board approved the decision last week and Tuchel signed a contract on 8 October.
“The announcement was delayed to minimise distraction around the international camp that has just concluded,” a statement read.
Speaking about his appointment, Tuchel said: “I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team. I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already. 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.”
In signing on with England, Tuchel is the first German to ever manage the men’s England national team.
He becomes just the third foreign manager ever to take charge of the England men’s team, following in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: “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.”
English coach Anthony Barry will be Tuchel’s assistant.
He said: “For any Englishman in football, working with the national team is the pinnacle and I didn’t hesitate when Thomas asked me to come and join him again. I know what a great place St. George’s Park is and how much of an advantage it gives our England teams, and the support it gives to coaches.
“This squad is very talented and have done so much to bring the country together, I look forward to meeting and working with them on this exciting project.”
