‘Fantastic coach’ – Harry Kane breaks silence on Thomas Tuchel as he closes in on England manager’s job
HARRY KANE has spoken out about Thomas Tuchel with the former Chelsea boss closing in on taking over as England manager.
Three Lions captain Kane has heralded Tuchel as a “fantastic coach” amid the speculation.
Kane, who played under Tuchel last season with Bayern Munich, told Sky Sports: “Until it’s announced obviously I can’t really comment, but we have to wait and see.
“Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic person, so I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me, when they know more about it.”
Tuchel is understood to be in advanced talks with the FA over becoming the long-term successor to Gareth Southgate.
No deal has been agreed with the 51-year-old coach yet but talks are expected to continue over the next 24 hours.
Tuchel, who has been without a job since he was sacked by Bayern Munich in the summer, would become England‘s third overseas boss should he be appointed.
The German would follow in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
Tuchel began his managerial career with FC Ausburg II before earning a spot in the dugouts at some of Europe’s biggest teams – including Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
His time at Stamford Bridge saw him guide the Blues to the 2021 Champions League title.
Southgate vs Tuchel records compared
THOMAS TUCHEL
Augsburg II 2007-2008
P34 W 20 D8 L6 Win percentage: 58.82%
Mainz 05 2009-2014
P184 W72 D46 L66 Win percentage: 39.13%
Borussia Dortmund 2015-2017
P107 W67 D23 L17 Win percentage: 62.62%
Honours: DFB Pokal
Paris Saint Germain 2018-2020
P127 W95 D13 L16 Win percentage: 74.8%
Honours: Ligue 1 X2, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Trophee des Champions x2
Chelsea 2021-2022
P100 W60 D24 L16 Win percentage: 60%
Honours: Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup
Bayern Munich 2023-2024
P61 W37 D8 L16 Win percentage: 60.66%
Honours: Bundesliga
GARETH SOUTHGATE
Middlesbrough 2006-2009
P151 W54 D43 Win percentage: 35.76%
England U21 2013-2016
P37 W27 D5 L5 Win percentage: 72.97%
Honours: Toulon tournament
England 2016-Present
P102 W61 D24 L17 Win percentage: 59.8%
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
Tuchel is familiar with England captain Kane having been the man who signed him for Bayern last summer.
Despite Tuchel ultimately losing his job, the tactician helped Kane to his best ever goalscoring season.
The 31-year-old bagsman netted an astonishing 44 times in 45 games last term, winning the Bundesliga Golden Boot as Bayern missed out on the title.
In fact, Kane boasts his best ever minutes-per-goal ratio under Tuchel compared to any of his other managers – netting once every 89 minutes under his former boss.
Lee Carsley was initially appointed as England’s interim manager but he has not been seen as a suitable candidate.
The former England U21s boss failed to impress when England were on the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat to Greece last week under his management.
While he himself has claimed that the Three Lions deserve a “world-class coach who has won trophies” and that he is “still on the path to that” after England’s 3-1 win over Finland on Sunday.
Execs at the FA are also understood to have sounded out the idea of hiring Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as well as Newcastle gaffer Eddie Howe.
However, Guardiola is thought to be committed to Man City for the time being and Howe’s contract with Newcastle promoted concerns for the FA over the size of a potential compensation payout.
England’s next two games in the Nations League, when Tuchel could be in charge, are against Greece and Ireland next month.
Forgotten England stars could benefit from Tuchel appointment
WITH Thomas Tuchel in the frame to be the next England manager, a few forgotten stars might be hopeful of a return to the international set up.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager usually uses a 3-4-3 formation.
That could provide an opening for Mason Mount, who’s not been involved in the England set-up since the World Cup in 2022.
The now Manchester United star enjoyed his most successful spell under Tuchel while the pair were at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel could also offer lifelines to other previously capped players such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Eric Dier.
RLC has excelled since his move to AC Milan and with England struggling to find a partner for Rice, he could be the surprise answer.
Meanwhile, Dier played for Tuchel at Bayern Munich as part of a back-three last season.
The defender did enough to convince the club to make his loan move permanent after he had fallen out of favour at Tottenham.
Click here to see the full England XI who could play under Tuchel.