Thomas Tuchel agrees to become new England manager with announcement due this week

Thomas Tuchel has agreed to become the new England manager after the Football Association reached an agreement with the German, who will be unveiled later this week

Thomas Tuchel, the former Bayern Munich manager, has agreed to take on the role of England manager, following successful negotiations with the Football Association. The German is set to be officially introduced later this week.

Tuchel quickly became the leading candidate for the position after leaving his post at Bayern Munich last season. After confirming his interest in the job, FA bosses promptly began talks with him.

As initially reported by The Times, an agreement has now been reached, making Tuchel only the third foreign permanent manager of the England team, following Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. The search for a new manager began after Gareth Southgate stepped down following Euro 2024.

Lee Carsley has been managing the team on an interim basis, leading the Three Lions through the Nations League. However, after last week's loss to Greece and Sunday's victory over Finland, Carsley confirmed he would not be taking the job permanently.

Tuchel emerged as the top choice after Mark Bullingham, the FA's chief executive, and technical director John McDermott approached him last month. He has been out of work since being let go by Bayern and has effectively been on gardening leave ever since, though the Bundesliga side are not expected to demand compensation, reports the Mirror.

The FA are reportedly planning a press conference this week, likely to announce the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as manager. Tuchel, who has previously managed Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, is set to take the helm.

He led Chelsea to four cup finals, clinching the Champions League, before his dismissal in September 2022. His impressive CV also includes leading Dortmund to the DFB-Pokal in 2017, guiding PSG to two Ligue 1 titles and securing the Bundesliga title with Bayern in 2023.

The FA hope that Tuchel's proven ability to work with top players will help England transition from being beaten finalists in the last two Euros to winners in major tournaments. Despite reaching out to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola over the summer, the FA have yet to receive a response, fuelling speculation that he will remain at the Etihad for another year.

This prompted the FA to fast-track their pursuit of Tuchel, who flew to London for discussions. It's expected that Carsley will revert to managing the under-21s.

The World Cup draw is scheduled for Friday, December 13 in Geneva, with the new manager anticipated to oversee the qualifying campaign. It remains unclear whether Tuchel will manage England's final Nations League games next month.

England captain Harry Kane, who played under Tuchel at Bayern, has already expressed his support for the German, praising him as a 'fantastic coach'.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Kane said, "To be honest, I haven't heard anything specific about it yet. That's why I can't really comment on it until it's officially announced," when asked about Tuchel's discussions with the FA. He added, "We'll have to wait and see what happens. I obviously know Thomas very well from the last year. He's a fantastic coach and a fantastic person. I'm sure the FA will contact me when they know more about this issue."

Following England's recent defeat to Greece and victory over Finland, interim manager Lee Carsley reflected on his prospects for the permanent role: "I've not really thought much about it. I keep saying the same thing. My remit was six games and I'm happy with that. This is a privileged position. I'm really enjoying it but I didn't enjoy the last two days," he disclosed to ITV, in light of his team's loss.

He further mentioned, "I'm not used to losing in an England team, I don't take losing well. People are always going to try and put their chips on one side. I'm in the middle. My bosses have made it clear what they need from me. This job deserves a world class coach who has won trophies and I am still on the path to that."