England did not interview Eddie Howe or Graham Potter before appointing Thomas Tuchel - despite FA's claims they spoke to English candidates

Newcastle United manager Howe says he was not spoken to by the FA, while The Telegraphreports ex-Chelsea head coach Potter was not approached either, with Thomas Tuchel eventually taking up the post. FA CEO Mark Bullingham claimed 10 coaches had been interviewed for the role, including some English candidates. But the report states the publication knows of at least seven of the top English and British coaches who were not interviewed - raising questions over Bullingham's claim. They add Everton's Sean Dyche, Leicester City's Steve Cooper, former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, Wolves' Gary O'Neil and Southampton's Russell Martin were not interviewed by the FA.

When asked if he was interviewed for the England job, Howe said: "I was not. There was no contact from the FA."

After being questioned if this bothered him, he replied: "England have to do what is right for them and only they will know the processes they have gone through and the decisions they have made. I am certainly not the type of person that is going to analyse that. For me, it's about Newcastle and trying to win games and it's hard enough to do that if you are 100% focused, and I will always remain that way to my work. If you drop your levels, then the job becomes impossible and at no stage have I allowed myself to do that."

While there may be concerns about transparency and going away from promoting British managerial talent, Tuchel is a serial winner and is arguably the best coach who was available. The Three Lions want to win the 2026 World Cup and they have a great chance with the group of players at their disposal and with the German at the helm.

Before Tuchel takes up his role on January 1, 2025, interim manager Lee Carsley will remain in charge for England's Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month.