Thomas Tuchel agrees deal to become England's new coach | England

Thomas Tuchel has agreed to become England manager after talks with the Football Association accelerated on Tuesday. The 51-year-old will be the third foreign coach of the men's team and the first from Germany.

The FA had Tuchel on its shortlist to find Gareth Southgate's permanent successor since the start of the process. Manchester City's Pep Guardiola and interim manager Lee Carsley were also on this list.

It focused on Tuchel leading Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021 – the highlight of an impressive CV. He has been unemployed since leaving FC Bayern Munich in May.

Tuchel, who is expected to address the media at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, follows Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello in taking over as head coach abroad. FA chief executive Mark Bullingham, who led the recruitment process alongside technical director John McDermott, has long been clear that nationality should not be a barrier to the job.

Bullingham highlighted during the European Championships in June that England women's head coach Sarina Wiegman was Dutch. In other words, the FA was and is perfectly happy to put its trust in someone from outside England.

There is no doubt that Tuchel is an Anglophile. He speaks excellent English – a requirement for the FA as a foreign candidate – and he has enjoyed his 18-odd months at Chelsea, becoming a cult hero to fans.

Tuchel's skills as an orator and leader came to the fore when he spoke out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, even though Chelsea at the time was owned by a Russian, Roman Abramovich. Tuchel found that he liked the more personality-oriented aspect of the British media.

Tuchel is uncompromising and left his previous four jobs under a kind of shadow. After his departures from Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern – in chronological order – there are reports of disputes with players and directors.

On the other hand, when Tuchel really gets going, he has the ability to energize and inspire, building momentum. He is extremely charismatic and has a track record of success at the highest level. He won everything at the domestic level with PSG, but narrowly failed to give PSG its first Champions League title, losing to Bayern in the 2020 final. He would make up for that on a personal level at Chelsea. He won the DFB Cup with Dortmund. He would win the Bundesliga with Bayern.

Tuchel is expected to bring with him England coach Anthony Barry, who worked with him at Chelsea and Bayern. Barry is assistant to Portuguese coach Roberto Martínez.

The FA had seriously considered permanently promoting Carsley from his role as England U21 coach, but doubts arose about his suitability, let alone whether he actually wanted the job. Carsley was heavily criticized for his team's performance in the 2-1 Wembley defeat to Greece last Thursday and at times struggled to communicate effectively in media conferences. Carsley is expected to remain in charge of next month's Nations League games against Greece in Athens and the Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium.

The FA approached Guardiola early in the process but luring him away from City was always considered unlikely. Eddie Howe and Graham Potter were the leading English candidates. Howe is focused on his work at Newcastle, where his contract contains a release clause of around £5 million. Potter, who no longer has a job after leaving Chelsea in April 2023, is leaning towards a return to club management.

England captain Harry Kane, who signed with Tuchel's Bayern Munich in 2023, said: “Until it's announced I obviously can't say anything about it, but we'll have to wait and see. “Obviously I know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic person. So I’m sure the guys at the FA will contact me when they know more about it.”