LONDON, United Kingdom, Oct 15 – The FA are in talks with representatives of Thomas Tuchel with the German coach in pole position to become the new England manager, according to Sky Sports.
Tuchel has been out of work since May when he left Bayern Munich, and Sky Sports News reported two weeks ago that there had been no formal approach from the FA – to Tuchel or to a number of the other leading candidates – including Jurgen Klopp, Graham Potter and Eddie Howe.
However, it is thought that the FA have accelerated their search for a successor to Gareth Southgate in recent days, after the Nations League defeat to Greece and interim manager Lee Carsley’s confused messaging over his future.
Whilst there was an initial enquiry to Pep Guardiola’s people, shortly after Southgate resigned in July, we have been told there has been no further developments in that area, and the Manchester City manager, whilst he is hugely admired by senior figures at the FA, is not currently thought to be an active candidate.
It now appears that Tuchel is the FA’s primary choice, and he could quickly be confirmed in the role if negotiations progress well – though much of the detail about his contract has yet to be agreed.
FA technical director, John McDermott, is known to want a coach with a proven track record of winning trophies, which is where Tuchel scores highly: he has won league titles with both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, and the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup with Chelsea.
It is thought that, even though Tuchel was technically placed on gardening leave by Bayern, the FA would be required to pay no compensation to the German giants.
If appointed, Tuchel would be only the third non-English manager of the men’s England team after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
