Why I wanted an Englishman for England – Harry Redknapp

Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has voiced his dissatisfaction with the FA’s decision to hire ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel as the new head coach of the England national team.

Tuchel, who is set to be officially unveiled at Wembley on Wednesday, was fast-tracked into the role after productive discussions earlier this week.

Tuchel’s previous managerial stints include Chelsea, PSG, and Bayern Munich, with his notable achievement being the Champions League triumph with Chelsea in 2021. He becomes the third non-British coach to lead England, following Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

However, Redknapp, along with several other pundits, is skeptical of the FA’s choice. He expressed his concerns to Sky Sports, saying, “It’s not like he’s been a massive success. He’s come and gone at a couple of clubs,” questioning whether an international coach is the right fit for the national team.

“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.”