Former Chelsea boss Tuchel appointed as England head coach

Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has been appointed as the head coach of England's men's national team from 1 January 2025.

Tuchel, 51, is the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate, who resigned after England's defeat to Spain in the final of UEFA EURO 2024 in July. 

He is the first non-English manager to take the role since Fabio Capello in 2012, and only the third overall, following the Italian and Sven-Goran Eriksson.

'I always wanted to come back to England'

"I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team," Tuchel 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.

“I always wanted to come back to England, that was my big goal. The offer came at the right time and we found a vision to share. Now I have to live up to it. I know there are some trophies and I want to help that happen."

When asked about possible criticism of a German taking charge of the England national team, Tuchel replied: “Maybe supporters felt my passion for the Premier League and the country, how I love to live here and work here. Hopefully, I can convince them and show them how I am proud to be the England manager. I am proud.

"I think we deserve a fair chance, the credit for having a good record in the country and how much we enjoyed living in the country and working in the Premier League. We will try to convince them with our results and how we play."

Tuchel's achievements in England

Tuchel is no stranger to Premier League fans having managed Chelsea from January 2021 to September 2022.

He replaced Frank Lampard at Chelsea on 26 January 2021, having won the German Cup with Borussia Dortmund and then two Ligue 1 titles at Paris Saint-Germain, including a domestic treble in 2019/20.

Tuchel took over with the Blues lying ninth in the Premier League, and made a hugely impressive start, leading them to the UEFA Champions League final, where Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0, winning the trophy for only the second time in their history.

Tuchel also led Chelsea to a fourth-place finish and FA Cup final, losing to Leicester City 1-0 at Wembley.

The following season the German lifted more silverware by way of the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, while he guided the Blues to a third-place finish, one better than in 2020/21.

He was voted UEFA and FIFA’s coach of the year in 2021 in recognition of his work in England. In the Premier League, he won the Barclays Manager of the Month award twice, in March and October 2021.

Tuchel parted company with Chelsea in September 2022 the day after they lost their opening UEFA Champions League group match to Dinamo Zagreb. The Blues were in sixth place in the Premier League, five points off top spot, with 10 points from six matches.

Tuchel's Premier League record

Tuchel, who has also coached Mainz, was available to take up the England position having left Bayern Munich last summer.

Lee Carsley, who had been England coach on an interim basis following Southgate's departure, will remain in place for England's final two Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland in November.