London: The Football Association (FA) have announced UEFA Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel as new England senior men’s head coach on Wednesday. He will be assisted by internationally renowned English coach Anthony Barry.
“The decision to recruit Tuchel and Barry was approved by the FA Board early last week, with Tuchel signing his contract on October 8,” The FA said in a statement.
Tuchel, who will be England’s first ever German manager, will begin his tenure in January 2025 ahead of the qualification process for the following year’s FIFA World Cup finals, due to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
“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,” Tuchel was quoted by FA in a release.
The German’s appointment at the FA concludes an extensive recruitment search which began in July following Gareth Southgate’s resignation after England’s Euro 2024 final loss.
Tuchel will be reunited with Barry, having worked closely with the Englishman at Chelsea and Bayern and where together they won four trophies between both clubs. Liverpool-born Barry, who is a UEFA Pro licence holder, has significant international pedigree, notably working with Belgium and Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2024 respectively.
“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,” Tuchel added.
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.”
Tuchel returned to English football after a trophy-laden period with Chelsea whom he led to become European and world champions, having also been successful at elite level in Germany and France. In addition, he was voted UEFA and FIFA’s coach of the year in 2021 in recognition of his work in England.
“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.
Tuchel’s impressive list of coaching honours includes league titles in France and Germany, twice with Paris Saint-Germain and most recently with Bayern Munich in the 2022/23 season, having won his first major trophy in 2017 when Borussia Dortmund lifted the German Cup.
The FA also said interim head coach Lee Carsley will remain in charge of the Three Lions through to the conclusion of the UEFA Nations League group stage next month, with decisive games away to Greece and at home to Ireland. He will then return to lead England’s defence of their UEFA U21 EURO title, after qualification for the finals next summer was secured this weekend.
–IANS
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