Thomas Tuchel has agreed to become the next England manager following accelerated talks with the English Football Association (FA) on Tuesday. The 51-year-old will be the third foreign manager of the men’s team and the first from Germany.

The FA had included Tuchel on its shortlist to find a permanent successor to Gareth Southgate from the outset, alongside names such as Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and interim manager Lee Carsley.

Tuchel, who led Chelsea to Champions League victory in 2021 – a standout achievement on his impressive CV – has been out of work since departing Bayern Munich in May.

Following in the footsteps of Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello as overseas head coaches, Tuchel's appointment reflects the FA’s position that nationality should not be a barrier. Mark Bullingham, the FA’s chief executive, who led the recruitment process alongside technical director John McDermott, has been clear on this point throughout the process.

Bullingham highlighted this view during the European Championship in June, pointing out that the England women’s head coach, Sarina Wiegman, is Dutch. This shows the FA’s openness to appointing someone from outside England if they possess the right credentials.

Tuchel is known to be an anglophile and speaks excellent English – a key requirement for the FA when considering overseas candidates. His time at Chelsea, where he became a fan favourite, cemented his strong connection with English football.

His leadership qualities were evident when he publicly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite Chelsea then being owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Tuchel discovered that he enjoyed engaging with the more personality-driven British media during his time in England.

However, Tuchel's uncompromising nature has led to tension in previous roles, as he left his last four clubs – Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich – under somewhat strained circumstances, with reports of disagreements with players and directors.

Despite this, Tuchel’s ability to inspire and energise a team is widely recognised. Charismatic and highly experienced, he has achieved success at the highest level, winning domestic trophies at PSG, including multiple Ligue 1 titles, although he fell just short of delivering their first Champions League title in 2020, losing to Bayern in the final. He made up for this at Chelsea, where he lifted the Champions League trophy in 2021. At Dortmund, he won the DFB-Pokal, and at Bayern, he secured the Bundesliga title.

Tuchel is expected to bring English coach Anthony Barry with him, having worked alongside him at both Chelsea and Bayern. Barry, currently an assistant to Roberto Martinez with Portugal, has also worked under Stephen Kenny with the Republic of Ireland earlier in his career.

The FA had seriously considered promoting former Republic of Ireland international Lee Carsley from his position as England Under-21s coach, but doubts arose over his suitability for the role, and there were concerns over whether he actually wanted the job. Carsley faced criticism following England’s 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley last Thursday and has struggled at times to communicate effectively in media briefings.

The FA also approached Guardiola at the start of the process, though it was always seen as unlikely that he would leave Manchester City. Eddie Howe and Graham Potter were the leading English candidates, but Howe remains committed to his role at Newcastle, where his contract includes a release clause of approximately £5 million. Potter, currently between jobs after leaving Chelsea in April 2023, is reportedly more inclined towards returning to club management.