According to reports from the British media, The Mirror, the FA Board has officially approved the hiring of foreign coaches, significantly boosting the hopes of Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino to take over as England’s manager. Additionally, the UEFA Nations League matches in September will be led by an interim coach.
British media sources indicate that all nine members of the FA Board unanimously agreed to allow FA CEO Mark Bullingham to engage with foreign coaches. This means that non-native coaches, who were previously among the top contenders for the England job, such as Tuchel and Pochettino, have a much higher chance of becoming the new manager.
However, the biggest obstacle to hiring a foreign coach is the salary. Both Tuchel and Pochettino are demanding salaries that far exceed the FA’s budget. Despite this, Mark Bullingham and the FA’s Technical Director, Mike Duff, have jointly compiled a shortlist of candidates and will meet with each one before submitting the final choice to the FA Board for approval.
Due to the time required for interviews and approvals, it is expected that an interim coach will lead the team in the two UEFA Nations League matches in September. According to the schedule, England will face Ireland away on September 7th and Finland at home on September 11th.
Besides Tuchel and Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp, who was previously listed as a candidate for the position, has personally confirmed his lack of interest in the England job, stating, “I don’t have any plans to return to coaching right now. We’ll see how things look in a few months.”
