Pep Guardiola ‘had verbal agreement’ to become England boss as Thomas Tuchel exit clauses revealed

Pep Guardiola had a “verbal agreement” to become England boss before Thomas Tuchel was appointed and may still be interested in the role. Questions have been raised over Tuchel’s future after England’s bitterly disappointing World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina in the semi-final, with many criticising the German’s tactics in a game that saw the Three Lions succumb to a late comeback after leading. There are calls for Tuchel to be sacked by the FA with many pointing to Guardiola, fresh off leaving Manchester City at the end of last season, as a dream replacement. Guardiola is someone that the FA has previously shown an active interest in, with The Athletic claiming that the Catalan actually had agreed to succeed Gareth Southgate before deciding to extend his stay at City. Pep Guardiola is available after leaving Manchester City (PA Wire) This led to England turning their interests to Tuchel, who was subsequently appointed in January 2025. Guardiola is now a free agent and would “presumably” still be interested in the England post having previously agreed to take it on. However, it is highly unlikely that the FA is going to part ways with Tuchel after England’s run to the semi-final, with its commitment to the German being reaffirmed after the defeat on Wednesday. There were clauses in his contract under which both parties could have agreed to his exit, though these would have only been activated if England had been knocked out of the World Cup before the quarter-finals. It is highly unlikely Thomas Tuchel will be sacked by the FA (Getty) A further exemption was added to this when it became apparent that England would likely face Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in the last-16, which Tuchel’s side went on to win 3-2. The fact England reached the last-four for only the fourth time in their history, though, means these clauses have not been triggered and Tuchel looks set to remain in his job after the procedural post-tournament FA review. The FA has been committed to keeping hold of Tuchel as their long-term manager, handing him a contract extension earlier in the year to ensure he remains in charge for Euro 2028. And Tuchel has likewise been happy in the job, rebuffing an approach from Manchester United in January who made checks following the sacking of Ruben Amorim. He faces the tough challenge of rallying the troops for England’s third-place play-off against France on Saturday, with the fan reaction to the German yet to be seen.