LONDON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – After Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, for the third time in history a foreign coach will sit on the England bench. The Football Association has made official the hiring of Thomas Tuchel, the former coach of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea – led to a Champions League win – and Bayern Munich. The 51-year-old German coach, who was awarded coach of the year by Fifa and Uefa in 2021 and also boasts two Ligue 1 and one Bundesliga in his palmares, will have England’s Anthony Barry (with whom he has already collaborated both at the Blues and in Bavaria) as his deputy, and their assignment will officially begin from January 1, 2025 ahead of the next World Cup qualifiers. The FA reveals that the selection process for the new coach, which started after Southgate’s resignation at the end of the European Championships that saw the Three Lions still defeated in the final, led to the signing of the contract as early as last October 8. The announcement was only made today, however, to avoid distractions given England’s Nations League commitments, with Lee Carsley also staying on for the two November matches with Greece and Ireland before returning as coach of the Under-21 side. “We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world, and Anthony Barry, one of the best English coaches, who will support him,” the words of Mark Bullingham, CEO of the FA. “Since Gareth stepped down, we have met with a number of coaches, Thomas has impressed us greatly and has stood out for his vast expertise and determination. Anthony is a talent and also has experience at the national team level having worked with Ireland, Belgium and Portugal. We wanted to hire a staff that would give us the best chance of winning a major tournament, and Thomas and Anthony’s goal is this: to put us in the best condition to win the 2026 World Cup.” “I am very proud to have the honor of leading the England national team,” Tuchel began, “I have long felt a strong connection to soccer in this country, which has already given me some incredible moments. Having 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. Together with Anthony we will do everything we can to make England successful and the fans proud.”- photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
