Gary Lineker has revealed England missed out on Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti before agreeing a deal with Thomas Tuchel to become their next manager.
The German is set to be confirmed as Gareth Southgate’s permanent replacement at a special press conference on Wednesday.
Tuchel’s appointment is an exciting one, especially given everything he’s won throughout his managerial career.
He has secured trophies with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich over the years.
Gary Lineker has opened up after England decided to agree a deal with Thomas Tuchel to become manager
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Tuchel had previously been seen as the frontrunner to take over at Manchester United if Erik ten Hag loses his job at Old Trafford amid a dire start to the new season.
But the 51-year-old is now poised to take over from interim boss Lee Carsley with England instead.
Lineker, however, has claimed the FA initially eyed Guardiola and Ancelotti before deciding to secure Tuchel’s signature on an 18-month contract.
“It’s confirmed apparently that they did reach out in the summer to Pep Guardiola,” he told The Rest is Football podcast.
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“And also I understand that they spoke to Carlo Ancelotti.”
One name regularly linked with England over the past few months is Eddie Howe.
Yet Alan Shearer claims the FA didn’t reach out to the Newcastle boss, who has impressed during his time at St James’ Park.
“I’m told they didn’t speak to Eddie Howe, or they didn’t sound him out at all, I’m reliably told,” he said.
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“Which is a big surprise for me considering he would be the outstanding English candidate.”
Tuchel, according to The Sun, indicated he’d be interested in replacing Southgate shortly after England’s failure to win Euro 2024 this summer.
He had reportedly been waiting to see what would happen with United before making a final decision on his future.
But with the Red Devils choosing to stick with Ten Hag, despite their struggles for form, Tuchel has now opted to venture into international management for the first time instead.
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Thomas Tuchel has agreed to become the next England manager
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Speaking to Talk, meanwhile, former England star Jack Grealish has revealed he’s delighted with the appointment.
“Honestly, I’m so happy. I think it is excellent,” he said.
“I think, we’re lucky as England fans now – not just now, we’ve had great teams over the years – but I think this is a really a special group that everyone keeps talking about, and you need a certain type of manager who’s been there, who’s won things, who’s dealt with big players before to come and take us to the next level.
“I’m really excited for it – he’s a winner. He knows how to get that done. He’s done it wherever he’s been. So I think we should all be excited.
Gary Lineker has revealed England missed out on Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti before agreeing a deal with Thomas Tuchel to become their next manager
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“I think one thing that we have to do… and I think Gareth did a great job, guy has done a great job and we have to keep hold of that. I think the atmosphere, the culture, the relationships he built with media, with people, that allowed everyone to kind of get behind the team again.
“There were some frustrating years where people didn’t really believe in the team and Gareth bought that back. So we have to keep hold of that.
“And then can we go and win something? And I think he’s the perfect guy to try and help us do that.”