Thomas Tuchel set to become next England manager

German would be third foreign coach to take charge of Three Lions after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

Thomas Tuchel is poised to replace Gareth Southgate as full-time England manager following Lee Carsley's interim spell in charge. AP

Thomas Tuchel looks set to become the next manager of England after the German reportedly agreed a deal with the Football Association.

Multiple UK media outlets reported on Tuesday evening that Tuchel will be named as the third foreign coach to take charge of Three Lions after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

The 51-year-old will replace Gareth Southgate, who left in the summer after England's Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain, as full-time manager after talks progressed rapidly between Tuchel and the FA on Tuesday.

Lee Carsley was appointed as Southgate's successor on a temporary basis in August, initially for the Nations League campaign over three international windows.

However, the 50-year-old, who stepped up from his role as under-21s manager, has since given mixed messages about whether he wants the job on a permanent basis.

Tuchel has experience of English football having led Chelsea to Uefa Champions League glory in 2021 only to be sacked little over a year later after disagreements with the London's club's new American owners over transfer strategy.

He also guided the London club to victory in the Fifa Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup during his spell in charge.

In 2023 he took over as Bayern Munich manager from Julian Nagelsmann but left at the end of last season after the Bavarians finished trophyless for the first time since 2012. Bayern finished third in the Bundesliga, behind unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart.

Tuchel – who has also previously managed Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain – follows in the footsteps of Sweden's Eriksson (2001-2006) and the Italian Fabio Capello (2007-2012) as a foreign coach taking charge of England.

The FA is holding a news conference at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday with chief executive Mark Bullingham.

Carsley, who has overseen three wins and a defeat, had said the job should go to the best candidate, regardless of nationality.

His chances of landing the job full time were severely dented by a 2-1 defeat at home to Greece last week after he named an experimental line-up.

Carsley followed that up with a 3-1 win in Finland which leaves England second in their Nations League group, three points behind Greece with two games left to play in November.

“We've seen in the past that we've had different nationalities coach the team. The best candidate should get the job,” said the interim manager after victory in Helsinki.

“I think we'd be putting ourselves in a corner if we didn't, and we didn't open our minds a bit. It's important that any job that's available, you know, everyone that's at that level should apply for it.”

When he was pushed on the FA's process and his place within it, Carsley added: “When I was interim manager at other clubs I was asked what my opinion would be, what kind of manager would be suitable for the role.

“Obviously this is a far bigger profile, so it's not something that I'm involved with.”

Tuchel built his reputation as a forward-thinking tactician in the Bundesliga after taking over from Jurgen Klopp at Mainz in 2009.

When Klopp left Borussia Dortmund at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, Tuchel also replaced him there, leading the team to German Cup success in 2017.

He joined PSG the following year, replacing Unai Emery, and won back-to-back French league titles. Tuchel also took PSG to their first Champions League final in 2020, which they lost to Bayern, before leaving for Chelsea.

Tuchel has proven himself a strong character with a winning mentality and a good record. He has worked with top-level players and is a strong proponent of modern high-intensity football.

But taking over the England national team represents a new challenge for the German, who will be tasked with delivering a first major trophy since England won the World Cup on home soil in 1966.