Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he did not insert a release clause when he extended his contract as England manager this year, insisting he has no intention of leaving before Euro 2028. The German, who led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, said he wants to stay until the European Championship and described the tournament as "unfinished business."
Commitment to England
Speaking ahead of England's Nations League clash with Croatia, Tuchel addressed speculation linking him with club jobs. While Mauricio Pochettino is expected to leave his role as USA men's head coach to replace Michael Carrick at Manchester United, Tuchel said he is not going anywhere. The Football Association does not have to worry about being forced to let him go, unlike United, who can pay about £7m to release Pochettino from his deal.
"There's no intention [of leaving]," Tuchel said. "I signed the contract. I want to stay until the Euros. I want to do the Euros. We have unfinished business."
Tuchel admitted he misses the intensity of club management, describing "the 50 matches" a season and "these two minutes when everything is done, before the whistle goes … it's like the best two minutes." However, he acknowledged downsides to playing every four days and did not rule out staying with England beyond the European Championship.
Trust from the FA
Tuchel's contract contains a performance-related clause that would have allowed the FA to sack him had England underperformed at the World Cup. However, he has support from Mark Bullingham, the chief executive, and Dan Ashworth, the chief football officer, who reinforced their backing during the summer.
"They made it very early in the World Cup," Tuchel said, explaining that the support came while the sacking clause remained active. "They just made it very clear and it comes from a place of trust, and that's what you look for as a coach."
"I love my players. I love my staff and I have bosses who trust me. I know how to appreciate it a lot. I miss my players, and I miss my team, and I miss the 50 matches that I'm not involved in a year. But I'm desperate to win the Nations League and to try to win the Euros."
Nations League preparations
England need one point from their final two games in Group A3 to finish in the top two and qualify for the quarter-finals in March. Victory against Croatia would give them a chance of finishing top when they visit Spain on Sunday. The Croatia game will also see Harry Kane break the England men's appearance record at Wembley.
Tuchel must manage Jude Bellingham carefully, as England's No 10 is on a booking and at risk of missing the Spain game through suspension. There are uncertainties in central defence after Marc Guéhi's withdrawal, with Ezri Konsa unavailable against Croatia and targeting a return against Spain.
Tuchel added James Hill and Dan Burn to his squad this week and will use a new partnership against Slaven Bilic's side. It is likely to be Jarell Quansah as the right centre-back, with Jarrad Branthwaite possibly missing out to Burn on the left.
New identity forming
"Jarrad is doing very well but it's a very different style of play for him from Everton towards us," Tuchel said. "Dan Burn is more used to the style with Newcastle from the last two seasons where they followed in a high press."
Tuchel is working with exciting newcomers, including Rio Ngumoha and Josh King in attack, and is the first senior manager to work with the Bellingham brothers. Jobe Bellingham, who has impressed with his physicality and calm on the ball, plays a deeper midfield role than Jude and is likely to start on the bench.
Tuchel wants to build on the values from the previous camp, which featured a narrow defeat by Spain before a 7-0 victory over Croatia in Rijeka. Alex Scott, who is out with a thigh injury, impressed in that win alongside Elliot Anderson and can challenge Declan Rice, who is back after missing the last camp.
"Declan understands the game like he's almost a coach on the field," Tuchel said of the Arsenal midfielder. The coach also mentioned young Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong, whose first call-up may not be far away, signalling a new identity is taking shape under Tuchel 2.0.
