Thomas Tuchel confirmed as England manager

Thomas Tuchel has been named as England’s new head coach by the Football Association. The association confirmed the news on Wednesday. The former Chelsea boss will start work on January 1 with interim boss Lee Carsley remaining in charge for the upcoming UEFA Nations League double-header against Greece and the Republic of Ireland. 

Tuchel's appointment puts an end to a search orchestrated by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham and technical director John McDermott which commenced in July after Gareth Southgate decided to step down from the position following England’s Euro 2024 final loss to Spain. 

In a statement, the 51-year-old 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."

Anthony Barry will be Tuchel’s new assistant. The duo worked together at Chelsea before Tuchel convinced Barry to join Bayern in April 2023. Barry, 38, has previous stints with Belgium and the Republic of Ireland before most recently becoming a part of Portugal’s backroom team under Robert Martinez. 

Tuchel said:  "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, particularly Mark and John, for their trust and I look forward to starting our journey together."

The FA see Tuchel’s arrival as an important coup given they set themselves the target of bagging a candidate with a “strong track record delivering results in the Premier League and/or leading international competitions".

"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," Bullingham said.

"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 several 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 the 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 U21 level, and we look forward to welcoming Thomas and Anthony when they begin work in January."