Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has been appointed as the new England manager(Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)

Thomas Tuchel makes clear Chelsea hint in first England new manager message after appointment

England news as Thomas Tuchel appointed manager with his revealing first words released

16 Oct 2024, 09:12 by Tom Coley · football.london

Thomas Tuchel has expressed his delight at being named the new England manager following a secretive process that saw him finally named as Gareth Southgate's successor on Wednesday morning. After three months of searching for a permanent replacement, Tuchel was appointed.

Alongside his trusty assistant, Anthony Barry, Tuchel will start work on January 1, 2025. This leaves Lee Carsley to finish off the current Nations League campaign in next month's final international break of the year.

The job will mark a return to England for Tuchel, who managed Chelsea between January 2021 and September 2022. The German head coach, who is the third foreign boss of the Three Lions, has been out of work since the end of last season after he spent just over 12 months at Bayern Munich.

Having been a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge - where he won the Champions League as well as UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup - Tuchel is excited to takeover a talented group of players in the national team setup. “I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team," he said.

"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."

As for his relationship with Barry, who remained at Chelsea when Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard, Tuchel added: "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 [Bullingham] and John [McDermott], for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.”

Tuchel was adored during his time at Chelsea, with the club's fans producing a banner celebrating his impact. He built his name initially at Mainz in Bundesliga before replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. Tuchel then won the French title twice at Paris Saint-Germain.

FA CEO Bullingham described his own excitement. “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," he said in a statement. "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.

"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 MU21 level, and we look forward to welcoming Thomas and Anthony when they begin work in January."