KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- Thomas Tuchel will become the third foreigner, after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, to manage England after agreeing to become Gareth Southgate’s successor.

Tuchel, 51, who led Chelsea to success in the UEFA Champions League and Super Cup in 2019 then FIFA Club World Cup, is expected to agree an 18-month, £5m-a-year contract through to the UEFA Euro in the UK and Ireland in 2028.

He has been out of work since being sacked by Bayern Munich in at the end of last term. He was approached by Manchester United in the summer but could not agree terms and transfer influence.

Formal confirmation from the Football Association quashed all speculation about Pep Guardiola or domestic candidates such Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter.

Tuchel was contacted last month by FA ceo Mark Bullingham and technical director John McDermott. His cv includes success in the German cup with Borussia Dortmund and two French league titles with Paris Saint-Germain, including a domestic treble in 2019-20.

Interim coach Lee Carsley, who has led England to three wins in their initial four UEFA Nations League ties, will doubtless be relieved to return to the under-21s whom he led to European success last season.

Carsley, regularly refusing to be drawn on his interest in the top job, had always insisted that the man for England should be a “world-class coach who has won trophies.”

He will remain in charge for England’s Nations ties away to Greece on November 14 and home to the Irish Republic on November 17.

High expectations

The expectations for Tuchel regarding the 2026 World Cup will be enormous after England finished as runners-up at the last two European Championships in 2021 and this year. However he is taking on history: no country has ever won the World Cup with a foreign manager.

Assisting Tuchel may well be Liverpool-born Anthony Barry who worked with him at Chelsea and Bayern and is currently working with Portugal.

Bullingham said: “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 Euro finals 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.

“Fundamentally we wanted to hire a coaching team to give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that. Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.”

Tuchel responded: “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.

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 for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.”

They start work formally on January 1.

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