Thomas Tuchel has said he is open to extending his tenure as England manager beyond the World Cup and said the FA was pleased with his efforts but should be cautious before committing to him.
If the Football Association is indeed seriously considering extending Thomas Tuchel’s contract with England, it should respond with two simple words: Fabio Capello.
Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, Capello’s officials and the FA thought it would be a good idea to remove the suspension clause introduced after the tournament. The Italy international’s contract has now been officially amended, with Sir Dave Richards, then chairman of what was then known as Club England, saying: “We are very pleased that Fabio has committed for another two years. This will allow us all to focus on the World Cup and support Fabio and the players as best we can.”
It worked. England advanced to the finals after being drawn in the same group as the United States, Algeria, and Slovenia, but were quickly defeated by Germany.
Capello’s time was supposed to be over, but the free agency stuck with him. He led the England team through Euro qualifiers successfully, but resigned in February 2012, mainly because John Terry was stripped of the captaincy.
However, changing his contract ahead of the World Cup final in South Africa was a big mistake, and changing Tuchel’s current terms of appointment would also be a big mistake. Tuchel’s 18-month contract ends after next summer’s World Cup, but an undercurrent of his comments at Friday’s squad announcement suggested he may be open to the idea of a long-term deal with the Football Association.
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Asked if he had any desire to stay after his current contract with England ends, he replied: “Yes, I’m having a lot of fun. I’m very happy. Anything can happen.”
No wonder it’s “so much fun”. For now, he receives 100 grants a week to see off Andorra, Latvia, Albania and Serbia. Next summer will be even tougher, but there are always excuses in tournaments. To be honest, £7.5m for a year and a half is a fantastic amount of money for a first-team international job where you can sleepwalk through qualifications. It’s also very flexible in terms of working hours and location, so it’s no wonder he’s “very happy” with it.
But why give him a new contract? And this is not about Tuchel being the German manager of the England team, it has nothing to do with that.
Naturally, the head coach of the England national team should ideally be British, but even those who agree with that idea will support Tuchel’s efforts in the role. But let’s see how he acts when the pressure is on a lot.
Their recent performances have been good and efficient, but the level of their Group K opponents was even worse than most expected. Yes, it was a “test game” as Tuchel called it, but the best team England have faced under Tuchel was Senegal – and Senegal won 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground.
Under Capello, England easily defeated their qualifying opponents Andorra, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Croatia and Ukraine. Sound familiar? In fact, it was more difficult than the challenge faced by Tuchel. However, when Capello and his men landed in South Africa, the place stunk.
The same could happen when England tour the United States next summer. If not, and if England do well, then invite Tuchel to the signing table at that point. It’s really that simple. If he leaves, don’t worry. Qualifying for Euro 2028 on these shores will be as formal as it gets.
Tuchel is very entertaining, clearly a good manager and has proven to be the right man to manage England. But before signing a new contract, let’s make sure Capello doesn’t screw it all up.
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