FA Chief: We risked losing Tuchel if he hadn't re-signed

FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham stated that the English Football Association felt compelled to offer Thomas Tuchel a contract extension before the World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, fearing they might lose him. The German was announced as the new manager of the "Three Lions" on October 16, 2026, but effectively began his role in January 2025. The islanders' performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers was nothing short of brilliant, as they secured eight wins in eight matches, scoring 25 goals and conceding none. This stellar run led to the agreement between both parties being extended in February of this year, as speculation linking him with major European clubs intensified significantly.

“Our thinking was, we have someone who is doing a really good job, and we believe we can extend his contract. The players really like him, he’s doing excellent work, especially behind the scenes. This is reflected on the pitch. He did a brilliant job during the qualifiers, so we felt confident doing it even before we knew our World Cup opponents. When you consider such a situation, you assess who the best manager is and when we could secure him. We then decided it was a greater risk not to sign a new contract with him,” Bullingham explained.

The FA chief clarified that the English Football Association had not received any inquiries about the possibility of Tuchel being released to take over a club team, and he does not have a release clause in his contract. However, the German faced strong criticism in the local press regarding his selection of the squad that will represent England at the 2026 World Cup. He made several surprising choices, opting for less experienced players over established names like Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who were not called up for the World Cup.

“I don’t see it as a risk, but I’m not saying those inquiries from clubs won’t happen. They could reach his agent. I believe there’s no buyout clause in his contract, so we are in a strong position with this agreement,” concluded the FA Chief Executive.