Thomas Tuchel press conference LIVE! New England manager faces media following appointment

Thomas Tuchel appointed England manager – LIVE!

Thomas Tuchel has been unveiled as the new England manager in a press conference at Wembley this afternoon. The former Chelsea boss will start his 18-month contract in January as the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate and lead the Three Lions to the 2026 World Cup.

The German becomes the third non-British manager of the England team after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello and jokingly apologised for having a German passport before outlining his passion for the job. Tuchel beat off intense competition to land the role with CEO of the FA Mark Bullingham revealing they interviewed 10 candidates in total including some English managers.

Tuchel insisted he hasn’t made a decision on whether he will sing the national anthem yet and didn’t speak to his former Bayern Munich player Harry Kane before taking the role. Follow all the updates, reaction and latest news LIVE with Standard Sport’s blog below!

Thomas Tuchel appointed England manager latest news

• Tuchel apologised for being German!

• England interviewed 10 managers for the job

• Tuchel hasn't made decision on national anthem

• Ex-Chelsea boss explains 18-month contract

• Did not speak to Harry Kane or anyone about job

Tuchel and Barry back together

15:29 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel and Anthony Barry has posed for their first photograph together since joining England.

Barry worked under Tuchel at Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Daniel Farke backs Tuchel

15:21 , Jamie Dickenson

Daniel Farke has backed Thomas Tuchel to succeed as England manager.

The Leeds boss is good friends with Tuchel and told BBC Leeds: “First of all congratulations to Thomas and England. I think he’s an excellent solution."

"His CV speaks for itself. He’s a world-class coach. He’s coached Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea, Bayern - so has lots of experience. He won the German title and German Cup too."

Tuchel 'will be more attacking than Southgate'

14:41 , Jamie Dickenson

Gary Lineker believes Thomas Tuchel will be a more attacking manager for England than Gareth Southgate.

"He is a different kind of manager to Southgate,” he told BBC Sport.

“He will be more of an aggressive coach in terms of playing on the front foot. He is tactically wise and I think he will be more offensive than Southgate.

"It will be interesting to see if he can make them gel and believe in themselves."

Kane happy with Tuchel appointment

14:34 , Jamie Dickenson

Harry Kane has given more reaction to Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England boss.

Kane told his subscribers on the Cleats Club app: "Just wanted to send a message with the big news Thomas is our new England coach.

"I think it's a really great appointment. I worked closely with him last season and think he's a really top, top coach and also a great person.

"He'll bring a lot of energy to the squad and experience. I'm really looking forward to starting with him next year, but for now I'm here in Munich looking forward to the big game with Stuttgart at the weekend."

Tuchel excited for England role

14:28 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel has revealed what excites him most about taking the England job.

Tuchel at Wembley

14:27 , Jamie Dickenson

Tuchel has posed for photographs at England’s home stadium Wembley.

Kane keen on Tuchel

14:21

Harry Kane has thrown his support behind new England manager Thomas Tuchel.

Kane worked under the German during his first season at Bayern Munich.

The FA interviewed 10 managers for job

14:17 , Jamie Dickenson

Mark Bullingham revealed England interviewed 10 candidates for the job before appointing Thomas Tuchel, but refused to name names.

"The whole process was confidential,” he said. “I understand at times that may be frustrating for people but we had to make that confidential for us but also really, more importantly for the candidates.

"We interviewed approximately 10 people, we did interview some English candidates within that.

“We ran a really clear process, we spoke with approximately 10 people throughout. Clearly some were more up for the role than others.

"We were absolutely delighted to end up with Thomas and we believe he gives us the best chance of winning the World Cup so we believe we've got the best candidate for the job."

McDermott's opening statement in full

14:14

Mark Bullingham began the press conference by explaining the process leading to Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England manager.

The CEO of the FA said: “We had a really clear recruitment plan in place before the Euros.

“John McDermott and the team developed our ideal profile for an international coach and a shortlist if we needed it.

"After Gareth [Southgate] resigned we executed that plan, met and evaluated potential candidates.

"Thomas was absolutely outstanding, providing a clear vision of how he will work with our players to get the best out of them and to give us the best chance in the World Cup.

"We wanted to wait for the international window to be over before we announced it.

"We are also delighted that Ant [Anthony Barry] is joining us. He is one of the most exciting young English coaches around.

"I'd like to thank Lee Carlsey for stepping into role for six matches, he's handled himself really well and I'm sure will continue to do so. He will manage the team for the November international window, and then return to lead the Under-21s trying to defend their Euro under-21 title.

"I'd also like to thank Gareth and Steve [Holland]. The fact we had such a high level of interest in this role was testament to the foundations they laid over their eight years with us."

Tuchel on England squad

13:59 , Jamie Dickenson

When asked for his thoughts on the England squad Tuchel said: “First of all, they are there. The players proved they are there.

“The consistency is impressive and we have players who compete in the strongest leagues in the world day in, day out.

"We will need luck, momentum, luck to not have injuries and so on. We feel confident to add something from our experience in club football that can maybe help.

“We have to prove ourselves all the time. We have to live up to these standards but I'm confident everyone is used to that."

Tuchel sidesteps Man Utd job talk

13:58 , Jamie Dickenson

Tuchel neatly sidestepped a question about why he took the England job over Manchester United, where was linked with replacing Erik ten Hag.

"The idea and the way John and Mark presented it was very fast and confidential,” he said.

“It was very straightforward, it was a decision for this job and not against anything else."

Tuchel spoke to no one before taking job

13:55 , Jamie Dickenson

Tuchel insists he didn’t speak to anyone before taking the job.

“I did speak to no one,” he said. “We kept the process very confidential between Mark, John and me. I did not speak to Harry [Kane] or Gareth [Southgate], normally I never do this to get my own feeling and point of view.

“No I haven’t done it yet. I think of Harry highly and fought to bring him to Bayern Munich and he is on the way to being a legend. “

Tuchel confirms 18-month contract

13:52 , Jamie Dickenson

Tuchel has confirmed his contract as England manager is for an initial 18 months.

“Well let’s see it’s 18 months then we agreed to sit together and we will see,” he said.

“I have good experience with 18 months personally but also unfortunately sometimes. I’m working on my long-term game.

“In this case it is important for me to have a frame around it as it is a step into the unknown for me as I am used to managing on a daily basis and this will be very different.”

Tuchel praises Southgate

13:49

Thomas Tuchel praised Gareth Southgate for his reign as England manager, where we reached two European Championship finals.

“Gareth Southgate and the FA did a fantastic job,” Tuchel said. “Look at the results of the tournaments.

“The youth teams win titles and the women's team. We are there. The federation is there. We will build on what Gareth built and add a little extra to get it over the line."

Tuchel hasn't made decision on anthem

13:45 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel has revealed he has not yet decided whether he will sing the national anthem before England games.

“I understood from Mark [Bullingham] it is a personal decision, there were some who sang and others didn't,” he said. “I have not made my decision yet.

"Your anthem is very moving. I have experienced it here at Wembley in the FA Cup final. Either way, I will show respect to a very moving anthem. I will always show my respect to the new role and the country."

England interviewed 10 managers for the job

13:42 , Jamie Dickenson

England interviewed 10 managers for the job before appointing Thomas Tuchel, according to CEO of the FA Mark Bullingham.

Bullingham revealed that “some of those candidates were English” but stopped short of naming names.

He also responded to a question about why they didn’t hire an English manager by stating they wanted “the best person for the job”.

Tuchel apologises for being German!

13:40 , Jamie Dickenson

Tuchel was asked what his message was for England fans who would have wanted an England manager in the job.

“I’m sorry I just have a German passport but I can tell them I have passion for the Premier League and the country,” he said.

“I love to live here and work here. Hopefully I can convince them and show and prove I am proud to be the English manager.”

Tuchel quotes Pele

13:37 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel started his press conference by telling a quote from Pele.

“Wembley is the heart, the capital and the cathedral of football,” he said.

“I want to thank the FA especially Mark [Bullingham] and John [McDermott] for their trust and I’m excited to start this journey in January with an exciting group of players.”

Tuchel appears

13:34

Thomas Tuchel has appeared for his press conference to announce his appointment at Wembley.

The German is dressed in a smart suit.

Press conference coming up

13:24

We will bring you coverage from Thomas Tuchel’s press conference at Wembley in a matter of minutes.

Tuchel is due to speak to the assembled media from 1.30pm alongside CEO of the FA Mark Bullingham.

Stay tuned!

PM message for Tuchel

13:18 , Jamie Dickenson

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has sent Thomas Tuchel a message of support.

Starmer - who is an Arsenal supporter - started Prime Minister’s Questions today by addressing Tuchel’s appointment in the House of Commons.

"The whole House will join me in wishing the best of luck to the new England manager Thomas Tuchel," Starmer said.

"I won't hold his old job against him, but I wish him well in the new one."

Thomas knows trophies

13:14 , Jamie Dickenson

Former Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has hailed Thomas Tuchel’s appointment for England.

Granovskaia enjoyed a strong relationship with Tuchel during their time together at Stamford Bridge.

Phone a friend

13:08 , Jamie Dickenson

Rio Ferdinand believes England’s players will be ringing each other to find out more information about their new coach Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel 'loved' by backroom staff at Chelsea

13:05 , Jamie Dickenson

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green has revealed how Thomas Tuchel was “absolutely loved” by the backroom staff at Chelsea.

He said: “There are guys at Chelsea, the backroom staff, absolutely loved working for Thomas Tuchel. They thought he was one of the best managers they've had there. They thought he was brilliant.

“With tournament football you need everybody on board, you need everyone in same boat, you need all your backroom staff to have their input and feel like they're having their input. He does that.

“They felt really valued and I think that's going to be key.”

Richards' take on Tuchel

13:00

Micah Richards has also questioned the FA overlooking English candidates but believes Thomas Tuchel is “an outstanding manager and proven winner”.

Richards - who won 13 caps for England - said on The Rest is Football podcast: "The more damning thing is that we have not got an English candidate strong enough to take that [England] job. That is one of the most interesting things.

"I was of the opinion that you don't need an English manager and it is about getting the best person for the job.

"I think Thomas Tuchel is an outstanding manager and a proven winner. I am not sure how he is going to fit all of these great players together because at Chelsea he played three at the back at times. He has also played with two number 10s as well.

"There are so many questions that need answering but we have to all agree that Tuchel is a winner. No matter where he comes from, he could be the difference between winning and losing.

"I understand why he has been given the job and I am excited to see what he can bring."

Neville slams FA for 'damaging' Tuchel move

12:55 , Jamie Dickenson

Gary Neville says the FA should face “difficult questions” after overlooking “outstanding” English candidates in favour of appointing a foreigner as England manager.

“I was supportive 20-odd years ago when we appointed Sven Goran-Eriksson but at the end of that period I came to the conclusion that the damage to English coaches was significant and changed my mind,” Neville told Sky Sports.

Neville was part of an all-English coaching staff between 2012 and 2016 when he assisted former England boss Roy Hodgson.

The former Manchester United right-back - who won 85 caps for England - has named ex-Chelsea boss Graham Potter and current Newcastle manager Eddie Howe as two candidates who he would rather have seen handed the reins than Tuchel.

Click here to read the full story!

Royal seal of approval

12:39

Prince William has given Thomas Tuchel his backing for the England job.

18-month contract for Tuchel

12:37 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract as England manager.

That will take Tuchel and England through qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and the tournament itself.

The FA didn’t initially include details on the length of Tuchel’s contract in their statement announcing his appointment.

Who is Anthony Barry?

12:32 , Jamie Dickenson

Some of you may be wondering exactly who Anthony Barry is after he was confirmed as Thomas Tuchel’s assistant at England.

But fear not as Standard Sport’s Simon Collings has explained all you need to know about the set-piece specialist who worked at Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Click here to read the full story!

Tuchel takes big pay cut for England job

12:18 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel has accepted a significant pay cut in order to take on the role of England manager.

Tuchel earned more than £10million per year during his time as Chelsea manager between January 2021 and March 2023.

He then earned less at Bayern, agreeing a deal worth £7.5m per season but only staying in charge of the Bavarian giants for a year and two months.

And Tuchel has now taken a further pay cut, with the FA set to pay him an annual salary of around £5m per year.

The salaries paid at the top clubs tend to be worth more than jobs managing the leading teams at international level, with Pep Guardiola earning £18m a year on his current Manchester City deal.

Click here to read the full story!

Tuchel's message to England fans

12:08

Thomas Tuchel has recorded a video message to the England fans after being named manager of the national side.

Carsley to return to U21s ahead of Euros

12:01 , Jamie Dickenson

Lee Carsley is set to return to his previous role as England Under-21s coach when Thomas Tuchel takes charge of the senior side in January.

The Young Lions secured their place at the 2025 Under-21 Euros after thrashing Azerbaijan 7-0 in Bristol on Tuesday night.

Carsley will be looking to retain their title in Slovakia next summer after guiding the U21s to European success at the 2023 tournament where Anthony Gordon was named best player.

Lineker claims England contacted Ancelotti and Guardiola

11:50

Gary Lineker has suggested England contacted both Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola before appointing Thomas Tuchel.

Ancelotti’s contract at Real Madrid runs until the summer of 2026, while Guardiola’s Manchester City deal expires at the end of the season but he could sign a one-year extension.

Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast: "They apparently did reach out in the summer to Pep Guardiola and I also understand that they spoke to Carlo Ancelotti.”

Alan Shearer added: "It’s happened so quickly, hasn’t it? We said the other day that there was perhaps a reason that Lee Carsley was ruling himself out and perhaps he knew something that we didn’t all know.

"I really hope that they have spoken to English managers. I am reliably told that they didn’t speak to Eddie Howe or sound him out at all. That is a big surprise for me because he would be the outstanding English candidate."

How will England play under Tuchel?

11:41 , Jamie Dickenson

Highly regarded for his tactical acumen, Standard Sport’s Dom Smith has taken a look at what England fans can expect under Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel adopted a 4-2-3-1 system as his favoured formation when he was Bayern Munich manager, and this neatly matches the way England lined up in their final few years under Gareth Southgate, as well as how they have tended to play under Lee Carsley.

At Chelsea, he played predominantly with a back three and pushed full-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James up high. The pair were the creative sparks in his side which won the Champions League in May 2021 shortly after he had taken over as manager.

It will be interesting to see whether Tuchel decides to rejuvenate their England careers and select a back-three, but with the players he will have available to him a back four looks, on the face it, more likely.

Click here to read the full story!

England players will be 'excited'

11:25

Stephen Warnock believes England’s players will be ‘excited’ by the appointment of Thomas Tuchel.

The former Liverpool defender won two caps for England and was part of Fabio Capello’s squad at the 2010 World Cup.

Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily: “Thomas Tuchel has won trophies at the top level.

“If I’m a current England international and I hear Thomas Tuchel is getting the job, I’m excited by that because I’m thinking straight away, this is a guy who’s tactically very good and who also improves players, who doesn’t have any allegiance to players in any way.

“Looking at it from a players’ point of view, what do you want? I remember going to the World Cup, getting on the plane and Jamie Carragher turning around saying ‘If we win this we come back as legends’ and that’s what they’re trying to achieve, a legacy, to win something – they don’t care who’s at the helm.

“As long as it’s someone who gets them over the line, who’s got that ability to tactically change a game, to see games out towards the end then the players will be happy.”

Shearer's Man Utd theory on Tuchel

11:06 , Jamie Dickenson

Alan Shearer believes the FA acted quickly to bring in Thomas Tuchel because of the possibility that he could become Manchester United manager.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had also been a name in the frame to succeed Gareth Southgate and former England striker Shearer told The Rest is Football podcast: "If they sounded out Pep, fine, he's the best manager in the world.

"You then have to look at what's available to you. They've looked at Thomas Tuchel and have thought there is a chance he could get the Manchester United job pretty soon.

"So the opportunity lies now. If they didn't act quick now they weren't going to get one of the outstanding candidates for the job."

Click here to read the full story!

England joint-second favourites to win 2026 World Cup

11:00

England have been made joint-second favourites to win the 2026 World Cup after Thomas Tuchel’s appointment.

World Cup 2026 Winner

• Spain – 6/1

• Brazil - 7/1

• England – 7/1

• France – 7/1

• Argentina – 8/1

• Germany – 10/1

• Portugal – 14/1

• Netherlands – 20/1

Odds provided by Betway

Why did Tuchel get the job?

10:54 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel will take charge of England after winning a host of trophies at club level.

He is widely regarded as a tactical innovator in modern football and is considered one of the best coaches in the world.

Tuchel won the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) as Borussia Dortmund manager, before taking the Paris Saint-Germain job and leading them to their first Champions League final in 2020, where they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich.

The 51-year-old won two Ligue 1 titles during his time in Paris as well as the Coupe de France (French Cup) and Coupe de la Ligue (French League Cup).

He then led Chelsea to Champions League success in 2021, beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 1-0 in the final - while he also won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with the Blues.

As Bayern manager he won the Bundesliga title in 2022/23 before leaving this summer despite taking the team to the Champions League semi-finals where they lost 4-3 on aggregate to Real Madrid.

The FA interviewed several candidates

10:42 , Jamie Dickenson

The FA have revealed they interviewed ‘several candidates’ before identifying Thomas Tuchel as their ‘preferred appointment’.

The extensive recruitment process to find Gareth Southgate’s successor began in July after England lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain.

FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: “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.

“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 [Carsley] 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 U21 level, and we look forward to welcoming Thomas and Anthony when they begin work in January.”

Kane hails Tuchel 'fantastic coach'

10:36

Harry Kane has hailed Thomas Tuchel as a “fantastic coach” ahead of their reunion with England.

Kane left Tottenham for Bayern Munich when Tuchel was in charge of the Germany giants and scored 44 goals in just 45 games in their only season together as well as registering 12 assists.

Speaking before Tuchel’s appointment as England boss was confirmed Kane told reporters: “To be honest, I don’t know, I haven’t been told anything.

“I know Thomas well from last year and [he’s a] fantastic coach and fantastic person, so I’m sure the guys at the FA will contact me when they know more about it.”

Anthony Barry appointed as assistant

10:20 , Jamie Dickenson

Anthony Barry has been appointed as Thomas Tuchel’s assistant at England.

Barry worked closely with Tuchel as Chelsea and Bayern Munich and has also served as an assistant for Portugal, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland.

The FA described the 38-year-old as “internationally renowned” in their statement.

Barry said: “For any Englishman in football, working with the national team is the pinnacle and I didn’t hesitate when Thomas asked me to come and join him again.

“I know what a great place St. George’s Park is and how much of an advantage it gives our England teams, and the support it gives to coaches.

“This squad is very talented and have done so much to bring the country together, I look forward to meeting and working with them on this exciting project.”

Tuchel press conference at Wembley at 1.30pm

10:12 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel will be unveiled at a press conference at Wembley at 1.30pm this afternoon.

Tuchel will be in attendance alongside CEO of the FA Mark Bullingham.

We will bring you all the updates from that when it happens and in the meantime we’ll have all the latest updates, reaction and opinion to the big news.

Tuchel 'proud' to take over, starts role in January

10:06 , Jamie Dickenson

Thomas Tuchel has revealed his is ‘proud’ to be appointed as England manager and is set to start to his new role in January.

Tuchel signed his contract last Tuesday but the announcement was delayed to minimise distraction over England’s recent fixtures against Greece and Finland.

He brings his former assistant at Chelsea and Bayern Munich Anthony Barry with him.

“I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” he said in a statement released by The FA.

“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 [Bullingham] and John [McDermott], for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.”

Tuchel will start his role as England manager on January 1, 2025 ahead of qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Lee Carsley will remain in charge for England’s final two Nations League games against Greece and Ireland next month.

Good morning!

09:55 , Giuseppe Muro

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Thomas Tuchel being appointed England manager!

A huge day for English football as former Chelsea boss Tuchel is named as the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate.

The German becomes the third non-British manager of the England team after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

We’ll have all the latest news, updates and reaction ahead of his unveiling press conference at Wembley at 1.30pm BST from Wembley.