Thomas Tuchel: does it matter if the England manager is not 'one of us'?

Thomas Tuchel will be the new England men's football manager after a whirlwind week that followed the departure of Gareth Southgate in the summer.

The decision by the Football Association (FA) has been arrived at "quickly and quietly", with Tuchel officially taking up the role in January 2025 on an 18-month contract, said the BBC.

However, the German coach's appointment has "surprised many", as "homegrown choices" were expected to be favoured for the role in the wake of Southgate's success, the broadcaster added.

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Tuchel is a "footballaholic", with an "intense" style that will soon come to be relished by England players, said The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg. He is a "pure coach who loves the smell of the grass", and former players "marvel" at his "tactical knowledge". But the German faces an uphill battle to convince England fans he is right for the job.

The best we can do?

"Hand back the Falklands. Why not? FedEx over the Elgin Marbles," said The Spectator's Damian Riley. With a German in charge of the England football team, nothing is "sacred" any longer, which begs the question: "what's the point of it anymore?"

To "preserve the sanctity of the international game", any England manager "should be English", said The Telegraph's Sam Wallace. Germany "would never consider appointing an Englishman" to lead their team, "and rightly so". An English coach, whether "Graham Potter or the next best option", should have been selected. But while other countries recognise that a homegrown national team manager is "an obligation, not an option", the English FA has turned a blind eye to an enduring problem: "a lack of English coaches it considers suitable".

"Is this really the best we can do?" asked the Daily Mail. While Southgate "might not have been everyone's cup of tea", he was "one of us". Instead, with the appointment of Tuchel, England has found a manager who has "no connection to the fans or players". His appointment is a "dark day" for English football.

'Does not matter'

"I challenge anyone moaning about Thomas Tuchel to name a better English coach," said Sam Cunningham on the i news site. While the decision to appoint Tuchel as successor to the "deeply patriotic and passionate" Southgate feels like a "bizarre 180-degree turn from the FA", it is necessary given the "embarrassing" state of English coaching.

Tuchel's appointment is an "obvious departure from the norm", but his nationality is not a "genuine, live issue", said The Guardian's Barney Ronay. The German is likely to field questions on whether he will sing "God Save The King" before matches, but given the monarch is "for what it is worth, more German than English", ultimately "it really, really does not matter".

"Ich bin ein Tuchel!" said The Independent's Sean O'Grady. Although an English manager may have been "preferable", a continuation of the rivalry between England and Germany – "the most vexed psychodrama in cultural and geopolitical history" – is "all a bit silly". Ultimately, what really matters is if "Tuchelball delivers what we've been waiting for, for far too long" on the pitch.