Thomas Tuchel made clear his target is to land the World Cup and add a second star to the England shirt, as the German acknowledged it could be win or bust for him after his appointment on an 18-month deal.
Tuchel, the third foreigner to take charge of the senior men’s team, was not shy to set his sights on silverware as he revealed his excitement at his unveiling at Wembley. The former Chelsea head coach, who will get to work on 1 January after signing a contract with the Football Association in secret last Tuesday, was straightforward in saying his mission is to end England’s quest for a first major men’s trophy since 1966.
The focus is on the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the USA, and the length of Tuchel’s deal suggests he and the FA are thinking in the short term. The 51-year-old, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, was asked whether extending a contract worth £5m a year will depend on England becoming world champions.
“I don’t know,” Tuchel said. “It depends. I know what you’re saying – no, it’s not a gamble, but we speak it out now very clearly why we are here and what we want to achieve. We are not shy of it. We are absolutely open about it. It does not help the more often we speak about it, but it should be out there and then we can set the standards, values and principles, because then we have to live up to them for 18 months.
“Let’s judge it when we have done it. If we decide it was a failure, then we will not continue. If we decide it was not a failure, then we will continue. No one can predict the future. It feels absolutely right for me to do so; it feels clear and easy for me to explain. When it’s easy to explain, it’s normally good.”
Tuchel, who has appointed an Englishman, Anthony Barry, as his No 2, called the job “the biggest in world football”. He exuded charm but made no apology to anyone upset about his nationality. He has not decided whether he will sing the national anthem before games. “I am sorry to have a German passport but maybe the supporters can feel my passion for the Premier League, my passion for the country, how I love to live and work here,” Tuchel said. “Hopefully I can convince people that I am proud to be England manager.
“I think everyone has their opinion and I can understand the opinion: ‘I would fancy an English coach more for the English team.’ But I think we deserve a fair chance, we deserve the credit for having a good record in the country, for never being shy of how much we love to live in the country and how much we enjoy working with the players in the Premier League. Maybe this counts a little bit for a British edge on my German passport. We will try to convince them by results and the way we play.”
The FA’s talks with Tuchel, who promised to play an attacking style with a physical edge, were kept a closely guarded secret. The governing body’s aim was to minimise distractions during last week’s international break. Lee Carsley, who was installed on an interim basis after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final, will step aside after next month’s Nations League Group B2 games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, talked about interviewing “approximately 10 candidates”, some of whom were English. The FA sounded out Pep Guardiola but it is unclear whether the Catalan will leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Tuchel, who has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich in the summer, was ready to go and was on the same page as Bullingham and John McDermott, the technical director. The former Paris Saint-Germain head coach praised Southgate for taking the team to two finals, a semi-final and a quarter-final at the past four tournaments. He said fine margins had played a part in England’s near misses.
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Tuchel confirmed he would live in England, making it easier for him to scout players, and admitted it would take time to adapt to the slower lifestyle of an international coach. But there was some confusion over why he will not start until January. The World Cup qualifying draw takes place on 13 December.
“We always said to Lee he would have three camps and we were very clear he’d run the Nations League campaign,” Bullingham said. “When we first spoke to Thomas he wanted to have a singular focus on the World Cup, so it made sense on both sides for him to start on 1 January.”
Tuchel refused to confirm Harry Kane would continue as captain and dodged a question over potentially replacing Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. “It suited my passion to push this group of players and to be part of this federation, which has such a strong record in recent tournaments, and push it over the line and to try and put a second star on the shirt,” he said. “Mark and John made very clear that it’s about football and this excited me very quickly.”
Tuchel has not finalised his backroom team and it is unclear whether Ashley Cole, Carsley’s assistant, will be part of it. “We will keep the group very small because I always want to acknowledge the potential and the quality in the staff of the FA,” Tuchel said.
