Thomas Tuchel Extends England Contract and Faces Key World Cup Squad Decisions

The men’s football World Cup is fast approaching, and, after just over a year in charge, England head coach Thomas Tuchel has extended his contract until 2028. When he was announced as Gareth Southgate’s successor in January 2025, debates rumbled across the country as to whether a non-national should be the manager of England. Notably, former England international, Gary Neville, was critical of the FA’s decision, stating that he was ‘’not sure it meets the criteria of St George’s Park and the belief in English coaches.’’

The German manager has been near flawless, winning nine of his ten matches in charge

However, as Tuchel’s tenure has proven, so far, to be a success, that conversation has seemed to have taken a U-turn. The German manager has been near flawless, winning nine of his ten matches in charge of the nation. Moreover, his team has displayed comfortable performances, including England’s dominant 0-5 victories away in Latvia and Serbia, as well as a 3-0 thrashing of British rivals Wales at Wembley.

With the World Cup looming, Tuchel has significant key decisions to make, particularly squad selection and who will start in England’s first game against Croatia in Dallas.

Of course, a huge debate has been circulating amongst the media and football fans: who will be starting in the number 10 role? England is spoilt for choice with quality attacking midfielders, but who starts is a decision lying with Tuchel. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has been in superb form this season, tallying 17 goals and assists for the club in all competitions this season. He has also started six of England’s games managed by the German, so is clearly a favourite of his.

Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer are also likely to challenge for the spot. However, both players have suffered a dip in form, with Cole Palmer struggling for fitness and picking up injuries, which have hindered his minutes on the pitch. Furthermore, Phil Foden, despite being awarded player of the season in the 23/24 season, has failed to shine since for Manchester City, and he gained his critics during England’s 2024 Euros for his underwhelming performances. Both have shown their quality in the past, but can they rediscover their talent and gain Tuchel’s favour?

Whoever Tuchel leaves out in that number 10 role is sure to spark debates and headlines

Another player who will undoubtedly be in contention for the number 10 role is Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham. The 22-year-old, however, did make headlines in England’s 3-1 defeat to Senegal when he appeared severely disappointed to be substituted. Tuchel was not happy with his player’s attitude and even states that ‘his own mother sometimes views the player’s on-field behaviour as ‘’repulsive’.” Tuchel has since apologised for his choice of words, but will this episode in Tuchel’s tenure affect Bellingham’s spot in the starting XI? Whoever Tuchel leaves out in that number 10 role is sure to spark debates and headlines, placing a lot of pressure on the German’s final decision.

Tuchel’s signing of a new contract has coincided with major managerial roles in Europe becoming vacant. Manchester United sacked their manager, Ruben Amorim, at the start of January, and Tottenham Hotspur also dismissed their manager, Thomas Frank, in mid-February. Both clubs are now operating with interim managers until the end of the season, meaning there is significant potential for Tuchel (who has proven to be a top coach) to take up one of those roles.

This could be the reason why the FA has decided to act now in convincing Tuchel to extend his contract. If Tuchel was to be tempted by the excitement of re-entering European club football, the clubs demanding his signature would have to pay a huge sum to the FA in order to buy out his contract. Sceptics might suggest that Tuchel’s contract extension could just be securing a huge income for the FA rather than informing England fans that Tuchel is willing to stay in the job until the next Euros.

[Tuchel’s future] will heavily depend on how he performs with this England team in the USA

In addition, Tuchel has a record of having relatively short tenures at his past clubs. It was only during his time at PSG, where he spent more than two years at the club; he was in charge at Chelsea and the two German giants, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, all for less than two years. It would be no surprise if Tuchel follows this trend and departs the England role after the same period.

Wherever Tuchel’s future lies after the World Cup, it will heavily depend on how he performs with this England team in the USA. Ultimately, though, this is not an immediate concern for fans. All they want is to match the successes of the Lionesses and for football to finally come home for the men’s team. England fans will get behind any choice of player and manager so long as it leads to victory. If Tuchel can continue to deliver, football just might be coming home!