Thomas Tuchel is reportedly in talks with the FA about becoming England’s next manager, with the German coach emerging as the leading contender for the role.
Tuchel, 51, has been out of the game since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
He previously managed the likes of Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, famously lifting the Champions League with the Blues back in 2021.
Lee Carsley is currently in interim charge of the Three Lions, winning three of his four games so far, although the former Republic of Ireland midfielder is increasingly expected to go back to his role as England Under 21 manager after the November international break.
Several candidates – both English and foreign – have been touted to be the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate, who left his role after England’s Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain in July.
Thomas Tuchel is reportedly in talks with the FA about becoming England’s next manager
Tuchel has emerged as the leading contender to succeed Gareth Southgate, who quit in July
England Under 21s boss Lee Carsley has been in interim charge since Southgate’s departure
Mail Sport previously reported in September that the FA had started making private enquiries with regards to appointing external candidates, with Pep Guardiola among those approached ahead of the start of the season.
And now, according to Sky Sports News, Tuchel is in talks with the FA about becoming the next England boss.
The report claims he is in pole position for the role, with his representatives in discussions after the FA made an approach in the past fortnight.
It is also said the governing body have accelerated the search for a new manager in recent days.
The German coach would be viewed as a sensible choice for an England side looking to win their first trophy in almost 60 years, given his trophy-winning pedigree.
While at PSG, he won six honours, while he led Bayern to the Bundesliga title and also lifted the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup alongside the Champions League when in charge of Chelsea.
However, he may also be viewed as a controversial option, given he is a non-English coach, with England having not had a foreign manager in charge since Fabio Capello exited the role in 2012.
Tuchel would also become just the third non-English manager to lead the England Men’s team if he was to get the job.
Since leaving Bayern in the summer, Tuchel has been linked to several major jobs across Europe, including Manchester United, with the 51-year-old holding talks with Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco in the summer, before withdrawing his interest.
The talks with Tuchel also come after the FA contacted Man City boss Guardiola in regards to the England job.
Guardiola has long been viewed by many at the FA as the ‘dream’ candidate to replace Gareth Southgate.
The likelihood of interim boss Carsley remaining in the job is waning by the day following a humiliating defeat to Greece last week and increasingly confusing comments made by the coach about his suitability for the role.
Not even Carsley himself seems to want the job, with the boss saying he would ‘hopefully…be going back to the [under]-21s’.
Tuchel has been out of work since leaving his role as Bayern Munich manager in the summer
If he was to get the role, Tuchel would become just the third non-English coach in the job
The FA have also contacted Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola regarding the role
He then created further confusion following another win over lowly Finland on Sunday, claiming the Three Lions role was for ‘a world class coach who’s won trophies’, before later stressing that this did not rule him out.
The FA have kept an open mind regarding their next appointment and viewed Carsley as a genuine candidate. But there has been a feeling recently, given his public soundings, that he may not be ready for the top job.
Guardiola’s contract with City expires in the summer and it appears unlikely that the Spaniard would leave before then, which could pose difficulties for the FA given there are likely to be six England fixtures in that period, though Carsley is already committed to November’s games versus Greece and Ireland.
Nevertheless, there is a sense among leading members of the FA hierarchy that Guardiola would be worth waiting for.
England would not match Guardiola’s current £20million wage at City, which could provide an obvious stumbling block.
But the job as England head coach is one of the best-paying international coaching positions in the world. Southgate, for instance, earned around £6million a year.
Meanwhile, speaking back in November 2022 shortly after his departure from Chelsea, Tuchel had opened the possibility to moving into international management at some point in the future.
‘Yeah, why not [take charge of a national team]?,’ he had said. ‘I would, I would. I did not give too much thought to it until now.
‘But I would consider it if it was the right team, and if it has the potential to win trophies like the World Cup and the Euros.
‘I see where you are going [with England]. But I think England has a good coach right now.
‘The team is very strong and very talented. As for everything else, I will not comment.’
After their clashes with Greece and Finland over the past week, England currently sit second in their Nations League group.
The Three Lions return to action next month with a trip to Greece and a home clash against the Republic of Ireland.
Carsley is expected to take charge of both games, although given the talks with Tuchel, the FA may have already appointed a permanent successor to Southgate by then.
