Mark Bullingham says the FA “owed it to the players and the country” to appoint Thomas Tuchel instead of an English coach.
Tuchel will become just the third foreign coach to manage England after the FA opted for the German tactician as Gareth Southgate’s successor, hailing him as the “best possible candidate” for the role.
The likes of Eddie Howe, Graham Potter and current interim Carsley were linked with the role, with FA chief Bullingham revealing that 10 candidates were shortlisted in the hiring process, including some English managers.
And Bullingham says he is convinced Tuchel, who has signed an 18-month contract, was the best man to get the most out of the Three Lions’ talented crop of players.
Asked at Tuchel’s unveiling if if it was an uncomfortable that England’s manager is not English, Bullingham said: “We were always very clear that we wanted the very best person for the job.
“And we feel like we owe it to the players and to the country to give them that support, that leadership in tournaments that will help to get them over the line and give them the best chance of winning that trophy at the men’s World Cup. We feel we’ve done that and we feel delighted that Thomas has joined us.
“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.”
“We interviewed approximately ten people, some were English candidates” 👤
FA CEO Mark Bullingham on the process selecting the next England manager 👇 pic.twitter.com/A52hPUsQfo
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 16, 2024
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Bullingham: ‘We interviewed 10 people’
Current interim Carsley had been considered a contender to land the job on a permanent basis but had been coy over whether he was keen for the role after England’s 3-1 win over Finland on Sunday.
Bullingham refused to reveal whether the Under-21s boss was considered but said as many as 10 people were interviewed.
He added: “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.
“We interviewed approximately 10 people, we did interview some English candidates within that.
“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.”
Bullingham: Tuchel has a ‘clear vision to win 2026 World Cup’
Tuchel is hailed as a serial winner within club football after winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 as well as winning league titles in Germany and France with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Shortly after his appointment was confirmed, the 51-year-old made his clear his desire to “add a second star to our shirt” by winning the 2026 World Cup.
And Bullingham says Tuchel and his coaching team, which includes English coach Anthony Barry, have a “clear vision” to give the Three Lions the best chance of glory at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
He added: “Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.
“Thomas was absolutely outstanding, providing a really clear vision for our players and how he would work with them.
“We were delighted to sign contracts with him last Tuesday and wanted to wait for the [international] window to end.”
Tuchel will begin work as England’s manager on January 1, with interim Carsley continuing to oversee the senior side during next month’s Nations League games against Greece and Ireland.
