England ANNOUNCE Thomas Tuchel as new manager on 18-month contract as FA name Gareth Southgate successor

THOMAS TUCHEL has been announced as the new England manager.

The German was confirmed as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor with a tweet on England’s official X account on Wednesday morning.

Moments before the announcement, they also shared a video of an England cap – teasing Tuchel as he is famous for always wearing a hat on the touchline.

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

Tuchel, who signed his contract on October 8 before the games against Greece and Finland, will then take over in January.

England’s X bio reads: “The Thomas Tuchel era begins in January.”

Tuchel, who has signed an 18-month deal worth £5million per year, will be at the helm for England’s World Cup qualification campaign.

The 51-year-old will become England’s third foreign manager after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

Tuchel said: “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.

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“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 [Barry] 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.”

He also shared a video short message on social media from Wembley as he admitted to being “nervous” about speaking to the England fans.

Tuchel has previously coached some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

He has been out of work since leaving Bayern at the end of last season.

During his time in England with Chelsea, Tuchel led the Blues to Champions League glory in 2021, beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the final in Porto.

The German wasn’t the first choice of the FA.

They reportedly made overtures to secure the services of Guardiola BEFORE the start of the season.

SunSport understands the out-of-work Graham Potter and current Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe were also on the FA’s shortlist.

Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker also revealed they made contact with Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

He said: “It’s confirmed apparently that they did reach out in the summer to Pep Guardiola.

“And also I understand that they spoke to Carlo Ancelotti.”

But their pursuit of those two elite coaches failed to yield results, which then saw them turn to the vastly experienced Tuchel.

Carsley was also in contention to land the gig but a shock defeat to Greece seemingly saw the FA move on.

Tuchel was on course to return to management in England’s top flight before agreeing to take charge of the national team.

Manchester United held talks with the veteran manager in the summer about replacing the under-pressure Erik ten Hag.

However, the Red Devils decided to stick by their current manager, allowing Tuchel to move on and take the England job.

Tuchel will likely base himself in London once he officially takes charge of the Three Lions.

He will be joined by his long-term girlfriend Natalie Guerriero Max, 37.

The loved-up pair have been dating since the summer of 2022.

Tuchel found love with the Brazilian following his separation from his ex-wife, Sissi.

The pair, who were with one another for 13 years, have two children together.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk