Thomas Tuchel wants to 'make dreams come true' after being appointed England manager

Former Bayern Munich and Chelsea coach will take charge from January 1

Thomas Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract to become England's next manager. PA

Thomas Tuchel says he wants to “make our dream come true” by guiding England to World Cup glory at his unveiling as England manager on Wednesday.

The German coach agreed an 18-month deal with the English Football Association with his immediate target to reach the 2026 World Cup finals and end the country's near 60-year-wait for a second major trophy.

With the appointment of Tuchel, who will begin the role on January 1, the English Football Association brought to an end a three-month search for the next men's team manager following the resignation of Gareth Southgate after eight years in the job.

Interim manager Lee Carsley, who is coach of the Under-21 team, will remain in charge for the rest of England's Uefa Nations League campaign before handing the reins to Tuchel. The German will be assisted by Anthony Barry, whom he worked with during spells at Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

“I understood very quickly that is it is a big job,” said Tuchel at his unveiling at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday. “The job you are in is always the biggest job and it makes no sense to compare, but it feels big and feels like a privilege.

“It is pretty obvious I am very emotional. I love what I am doing and am passionate about football.

“This role just brought the young me alive and brought back my teenage days, to get excited for such a big task.

“I want to put the second star [for a World Cup win] on this shirt. We will work hard for the biggest target in football, making our dream come true at the World Cup 2026.”

There has been some criticism in the British media about the decision to appoint a German as England's next manager, an issue Tuchel was happy to address.

“I'm sorry, I have a German passport,” he added. “All of those supporters maybe felt my passion for the English Premier League and the country and how I love to live and work here.

“Hopefully I can convince them and show them and prove to them I am proud to be an English manager and do everything to show respect to this role and this country and the target for the next 18 months.”

Tuchel will take into the role 17 years' worth of managerial experience; he followed in the footsteps of Jurgen Klopp by getting his start at Bundesliga side Mainz before a two-year stint at Borussia Dortmund, where he won the German Cup in 2017.

Tuchel then joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, winning Ligue 1 in his first two seasons in charge and the domestic treble in his second year. He remains the closest a manager has got to winning the Uefa Champions League with PSG having guided the club to the final in 2020 when they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

The German's third and final season in Paris was fraught with problems and he was eventually dismissed with PSG third in the Ligue 1 table.

Tuchel was only out of work for less than two months and was appointed Chelsea manager in January 2021, with the club struggling under predecessor Frank Lampard. He led a remarkable revival, masterminding a Champions League triumph and leading the club to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and into the FA Cup final.

In his only full season at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel led Chelsea to a Fifa Club World Cup triumph in Abu Dhabi and into the League Cup and FA Cup finals, losing both to Liverpool on penalties.

He also preserved their Champions League status by finishing third in the Premier League, despite chaos engulfing the club amid sanctions imposed on then-owner Roman Abramovich following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Tuchel lasted only a few weeks into the 2022/23 season after falling out with Chelsea's new ownership group, sparking shock and anger among the club's fans.

He was soon back in management, returning to his native Germany to replace Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich in March 2023. Tuchel guided Bayern to the Bundesliga title on a dramatic final day that saw rivals Borussia Dortmund held to a 2-2 draw by his former club Mainz to hand the trophy to the Bavarians.

However, his second and only full season at Bayern proved challenging, with mixed results coupled with Bayer Leverkusen's relentless form leaving the defending champions quickly cut adrift in the title race.

By February it was announced that Tuchel would leave at the end of the season, although an sharp rise in form led to a fans' petition requesting the manager to remain in charge.

Tuchel will now become England's third foreign manager following the late Sven-Goran Eriksson of Sweden and Italian Fabio Capello. He will be the first from England's biggest football rivals Germany.

“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,” said FA Chief executive Mark Bullingham on Wednesday.

Tuchel will be tasked with building on the work of Southgate, who led England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and successive European Championship finals.