Eddie Howe given clarity on Newcastle United future as former Chelsea man confirmed
The FA have officially announced Thomas Tuchel as the England manager from January 1.
News broke yesterday that the Three Lions were set to appoint their third foreign-born manager to succeed Gareth Southgate. Tuchel has been out of work since leaving his post at Bayern Munich in May.
Interim boss Lee Carsley appeared likely to take the job permanently until a recent shock defeat to Greece. Clumsy comments made following the loss also suggested he did not want the gig full-time.
From Newcastle United’s perspective, they no longer need to brace themselves for an FA approach. Eddie Howe was one of the popular choices among media circles to take charge given his successes in recent seasons. Watch on Shots! Geordie Journos reflect on Newcastle United takeover - three years on
But former Chelsea boss Tuchel has landed the job and will sign a contract until the 2026 World Cup - with work beginning in the new year. A statement from the German read: “I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team. 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. 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 and John, for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.”
FA CEO Mark Bullingham added: “We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry (incoming assistant manager) who is one of the best English coaches to support him. 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 the 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.”