FA CEO Mark Bullingham reveals that “approximately 10” candidates were interviewed for the role of England head coach before Thomas Tuchel was hired.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham has revealed that “approximately 10” managers were interviewed for the role of England head coach before Thomas Tuchel was given the job.
The governing body confirmed on Wednesday morning that the ex-Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain head coach had been hired on an initial 18-month contract, taking him up to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Tuchel had actually signed his contract with the FA on October 8, two days before England suffered a shock 2-1 loss at the hands of Greece in the UEFA Nations League, but the announcement was delayed to minimise disruption in the camp.
In between Tuchel signing his contract and the announcement, it was reported that an approach had been made to Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, while Lee Carsley never officially ruled himself out of the running, despite sending mixed messages to the media.
Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe and the unattached Graham Potter were also strongly linked with the position, as was Mauricio Pochettino, who has now taken up the role of United States head coach.
Bullingham confirms FA interviewed English managers
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Speaking to the media at Wednesday’s press conference – which was Tuchel’s official unveiling – Bullingham confirmed that some English coaches were spoken to after Gareth Southgate‘s resignation in July, and the number of interviewees stretched into the double figures.
“The whole process was confidential. I understand at times that may be frustrating for people but we had to make that confidential for us but also really, more importantly for the candidates,” Bullingham said.
“We ran a really clear process, we spoke with approximately 10 people throughout. Clearly some were more up for the role than others. We were absolutely delighted to end up with Thomas and we believe he gives us the best chance of winning the World Cup so we believe we’ve got the best candidate for the job.”
Tuchel will be working with former Chelsea and Bayern assistant Anthony Barry during his time in charge of England, and the German is reportedly also set to be working with Chelsea goalkeeping coach Henrique Hilario.
The 51-year-old’s appointment has been met with a mixed reaction, as he is just the third foreign head coach to take charge of the England men’s team after Fabio Capello and the late Sven-Goran Eriksson.
‘Tuchel was the absolutely outstanding candidate’
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Gary Neville expressed his displeasure at England hiring a non-English manager, but Bullingham affirmed that Tuchel – a former Champions League and Club World Cup winner – was the “outstanding” candidate.
“We had a really clear recruitment plan in place before the Euros. John McDermott and the team developed our ideal profile for an international coach and a shortlist if we needed it,” Bullingham added.
“After Gareth [Southgate] resigned we executed that plan, met and evaluated potential candidates. Thomas was absolutely outstanding, providing a clear vision of how we will work with our players to get the best out of them and to give us bets chance in World Cup.
“We wanted to wait for the international window to be over before we announced it. We are also delighted that Ant [Anthony Barry] is joining us. He is one of the most exciting young English coaches around.
“I’d like to thank Lee Carsley for stepping into role for six matches, he’s handled himself really well and I’m sure will continue to do so. He will manage the team for the November international window, and then return to lead the Under-21s trying to defend their Euro under-21 title.”
Carsley’s final two games in charge will come against Greece and the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Nations League next month, before Tuchel and Barry officially begin their work on January 1.