Pep Guardiola's stance on Thomas Tuchel says everything as England talks intensify

Thomas Tuchel is leading the race to become the next England manager, and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola's glowing praise offers a little window as to why.

It is understood The FA have held talks with the ex-Chelsea manager, and now view him as their top choice. This is despite ongoing reports linking Guardiola, among others, to the role. Tuchel, who has been without a club since his departure from Bayern Munich last season, has openly expressed an eagerness to return to management in England and is understood to be very open to becoming Three Lions boss.

The 51-year-old, who is also being heavily linked with Manchester United, enjoyed a trophy-laden 19-month tenure at Stamford Bridge, culminating in a Champions League victory at the end of the 2020/21 season – an impressive feat considering his team overcame Premier League champions Manchester City in the Porto final.

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In fact, Chelsea beat City twice within a month leading up to the final, something which clearly made an impact on Guardiola. In 2022, the City head coach lauded Tuchel, and even claimed the German had helped him develop as a manager.

"He's so creative," Guardiola, 53, said. "[He is] one of the few managers I learn constantly from to develop as a better manager.

"[He is] excellent in all departments. I enjoyed him since he was in Mainz. I enjoy watching his teams and the way he's playing and the approach. He makes world football better. When you find a manager who always wants to be positive in the way they play, it's good."

Ahead of the 2021 Champions League final, Guardiola detailed why Tuchel's Blues were such a tough team to beat. "Why Chelsea play so good? Because they have three central defenders close, the two holding midfielders who move in relation are close, the pockets are close, the striker and the two [others in attack] are so, so close. The distances are so close, and at the same time they are so wide with the wing backs, they are so good with the ball in behind.

"That's why you cannot be close because they push you [out wide] and they have a lot of good players in the middle. That's why it's difficult to face teams who want the ball and want to play with the ball. We've tried to do it since day one."

England may not have a free hit at Tuchel, however. United, who look set to part ways with Erik ten Hag if their dismal early-season form fails to improve, had discussions with the ex-PSG boss over the summer. While no agreement was reached, they may have been prepared to go back in for him if Ten Hag is indeed let go – although United may have missed their window now for Tuchel.

Should The FA fail to reach an agreement with Tuchel, they might refocus their attention on Guardiola who, as per reports, was their initial choice to succeed Gareth Southgate after Euro 2024.

Guardiola's contract with City is set to expire at the end of this season, and the ex-Barcelona manager is currently contemplating his next move. While discussions about an extension have been put on hold for now, City's top brass are eager for him to make a decision so they can begin preparations for the 2025/26 season – although this isn't straight forward with the ongoing case in the background surrounding the 115 charges against City.

It's believed that The FA made an enquiry into Guardiola's availability after Southgate stepped down, but there has been no further development since then. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and out-of-work Graham Potter are reportedly under consideration as alternatives, while it now seems unlikely England's interim boss Lee Carsley will be offered the job on a permanent basis after the Nations League defeat to Greece at Wembley last week.

John McDermott, The FA's technical director, is said to favour a coach with a proven history of winning silverware, which explains why Tuchel and Guardiola are high on the organisation's list of preferred candidates.

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