Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has expressed dissatisfaction with the FA’s decision to choose Thomas Tuchel as England’s next coach.
The former Chelsea manager will be revealed at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, after being fast-tracked into the position following cordial meetings early Tuesday.
Tuchel, who has had stints at Chelsea, PSG, and Bayern Munich – including lifting the Champions League trophy with Chelsea in 2021 – will now become the third non-British coach of the England national team, following in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Cape
Redknapp is not entirely convinced by Tuchel’s record and is one of several pundits who has questioned the logic of hiring someone from abroad.
Harry Redknapp laments to Sky Sports saying: “It’s not like he’s been a massive success. He’s come and gone at a couple of clubs.
“I’m very patriotic, I think we should have an English manager but the field was very small to choose from.
“Englishmen don’t get many chances to manage in the Premier League now. It’s all foreign owners and it’s always got to be a foreign manager.
“We’ve only got two or three managers in the Premier League who are English. The FA, with all the money they spend on coaching courses, it’s sad.”
He went on to explain the differences between being a club coach and a national team coach as this will be a first for Tuchel on the international level.
“It’s not like Jurgen Klopp who went to Liverpool and was a great success and stayed for many years.
“You need to have a little bit of common sense, pick the right players, pick the right positions, make them feel great about themselves, make them feel great about playing for the best country in the world,”
“That’s what it is. How long do you get to work with them? You don’t really get a chance to work with them – it’s not like you’re coaching them.
“Lee Carsley said he had about 20 minutes to work on a system – that’s about what you get to work on a bit of shape, patterns of play.”
