Soccer

Retired England player 'mystified' by Thomas Tuchel hiring

DAZN

13, Nov 24

Retired England player 'mystified' by Thomas Tuchel hiring

Teddy Sheringham remains unconvinced by the Thomas Tuchel appointment as England manager.

Tuchel was announced last month as the new boss of the Three Lions, but the German won't start until the beginning of 2025. The former Bayern Munich, PSG and Chelsea manager will take over from former longtime boss Gareth Southgate, who resigned from the England post following the team's 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

However, Sheringham doesn't believe the move was good long-term planning by the FA.

"I'm a little bit mystified by the [appointment] of Thomas Tuchel as England manager. I'm not so sure about it," Sheringham told Best Offshore Sportsbooks. "England have made such great strides with Gareth Southgate. I know for a lot of people he wasn't the be-all and end-all, but what he's done for English football is immense.

"He conducted himself in the best possible manner and transformed the narrative around the national team. I think he's been impeccable all round and will be an incredibly difficult manager to replace.

"For the FA to change the tactic and approach, to essentially change the direction of what they’ve built with Gareth by offering Thomas Tuchel an 18-month contract, a German manager who probably doesn't give two hoots about what happens after [the 2026 World Cup] is a really strange decision.

"Whereas with Gareth, everything was about building and continuing to progress on the foundation that he built because he did a lot of good work during his eight-year tenure.

"So, I find that a strange decision, but it’s one you've got to back at the moment because he's got an outstanding group of players to work with when he does start."

Lee Carsley has taken the England reins on an interim basis, managing the side in the September and October international windows and doing so again this month. It's a puzzling situation for Sheringham, who wonders why Tuchel cannot be with the players a month after being announced as the incoming boss.

"I also don’t understand or like the fact that he’s not in there now," he said. "Why hasn't he gone in there straight away, as soon as he signs the contract, to get to know players?

"The FA have given Lee Carsley another couple of games, why? The players are going to wonder, who are we trying to impress here the new manager or the interim manager Lee Carsley."