Thomas Tuchel is set to be confirmed as the next permanent England manager and will lead the Three Lions into the 2026 World Cup.
One of football’s biggest jobs, the role has been vacant since Gareth Southgate stepped down after England lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain, with England under-21 manager Lee Carsley stepping up on interim basis for two international breaks, but ultimately not doing enough to make the job his.
16. Lewis Baker – 1 appearance
Baker’s only appearance under Tuchel came as a substitute in the FA Cup in January 2022, a 5-1 win against Chesterfield. It was his first appearance for the club since 2014.
He left the club permanently to sign for Stoke later that month.
15. Lewis Hall – 1 appearance
Hall made his Chelsea debut in the same 5-1 win over Chesterfield and provided an assist, becoming the youngest player to start in the FA Cup for Chelsea in the process.
By the time his Premier League debut came later on in the year, Tuchel had been dismissed.
14. Marcus Bettinelli – 1 appearance
Signed in 2021 to bolster the goalkeeping ranks, Bettinelli’s Chelsea debut came against – you guessed it – Chesterfield in the FA Cup.
He remains at the club to this day.
13. Harvey Vale – 5 appearances
The versatile Cobham graduate broke through under Tuchel and made a handful of appearances before being sent on loan to Hull for the 2022-23 season, during which Tuchel was promptly sacked.
Vale was sent out on loan to Bristol Rovers for the 2023-24 campaign and was one of 13 players told to train away from the first-team when Enzo Maresca took charge this summer.
Having failed to secure a move away, it seems as though he’s stuck putting the cones out for the forseeable.
12. Conor Gallagher – 5 appearances
Ironically, Gallager feels like a player who Tuchel would love these days, but he only played five times under the German and spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons on loan away from the club at West Brom and Crystal Palace respectively.
He had to watch from the stands while on loan at the latter despite helping them reach the FA Cup semi-final where they faced his parent club. Tuchel apologised for him being unable to play the game.
11. Tammy Abraham – 7 appearances
Very much a man of the previous regime, Abraham broke through under Frank Lampard and – despite his potential – was never quite fancied by Tuchel.
He left the club in the summer of 2021 to sign for Roma and enjoyed a brilliant first season under Jose Mourinho, before being derailed by an ACL injury.
10. Raheem Sterling – 7 appearances
Tuchel only got seven appearances from Sterling before he was dismissed and replaced by Graham Potter after signing him from Manchester City in the summer of 2022.
We get the feeling that there’s unfinished business with this duo. Watch this space…
9. Ross Barkley – 14 appearances
Barkley was on loan at Aston Villa when Tuchel took charge at Chelsea, but remained with the squad for 2021-22 and saw out the final year of his contract under Tuchel.
In doing so, he also made his 100th appearance for the club.
8. Eric Dier – 20 appearances
Having fallen out of favour at Tottenham, nobody quite understood why Tuchel was so desperate to sign Dier for Bayern Munich, but he eventually got his man in January 2024 on a loan that became permanent following a set number of appearances.
The defender/midfielder didn’t manage to weigh in with a goal or an assist, but did make 20 appearances in the second half of the season under Tuchel before he left the club and was clearly a very important asset to the German.
Don’t be surprised if you see him recalled to an England squad in the near future.
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7. Trevoh Chalobah – 31 appearances
The emergence of Chalobah at Chelsea under Tuchel was one of several positives from his time in London, with the defender making 31 appearances under the German and looking like a ready-made top-level defender in his back-three system.
Before Tuchel, Chalobah was stuck in the infamous Chelsea loan cycle, but forced his way into the first-team under the German at right centre-back and weighed in with four goals and an assist.
Tuchel actually tried to sign the England under-21 international at Bayern, but was unsuccessful. If he deploys a back three/five, we might just see him earn his first senior caps.
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6. Ben Chilwell – 39 appearances
Scoring away at Porto in the Champions League quarter-final, Chilwell’s first season at Stamford Bridge was a good one and got better when Tuchel replaced Lampard, fitting into his system rather seamlessly at left wing-back.
He started as they beat Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final, but things unravelled later in the year when he ruptured his ACL against Juventus.
The defender has struggled to regain that same form ever since and looked to be out of Enzo Maresca’s plans altogether, but is now back in the fold.
5. Harry Kane – 45 appearances
Kane would’ve thrived no matter who the manager was in Munich at the time of his signing, proven by the fact he scored 44 goals in a season where Die Roten didn’t win the Bundesliga, but Tuchel adored him nevertheless.
Tuchel told the Bundesliga’s official website in January 2024 that he felt ‘privileged’ to coach Kane, adding: “The guy is super humble, he’s the first out there on the pitch every single day and anything you ask of him, he will do it.
“He’s a huge personality who becomes a shark on the field, because he wants to score, he wants to win, and he does it on a daily basis.
“I always say you learn from your players, if you have the privilege to be a coach, especially at this level, and you learn a lot from Harry.”
2026 World Cup. Tuchel x Kane. We need this. Please stay fit, Harry.
4. Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 46 appearances
Loftus-Cheek’s talent was never a surprise to anybody; the issue was making it consistent while he dealt with continuous injury setbacks.
However, Tuchel had plenty of belief in the midfielder and found a way for him to flourish at Chelsea after he returned from loan for the 2021-22 season.
He bagged one goal and assisted five times in 46 appearances under the German coach, that goal coming in the FA Cup semi-final against Palace.
The midfielder left at the end of the 2022-23 season to sign for Milan, with his opportunities again limited under new management.
3. Callum Hudson-Odoi – 46 appearances
On the bench as Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021, Hudson-Odoi was completely revived under Tuchel as a wing-back.
He weighed in with three goals and seven assists in total under the German and while the relationship between the two wasn’t always perfect – Tuchel hooked him after 31 minutes despite being him subbed on at half-time against Southampton in early 2021 – there was respect there.
Hudson-Odoi is now older, wiser and has improved significantly at Nottingham Forest. Don’t be surprised if Tuchel leans on him once again.
2. Reece James – 74 appearances
A player we’re sure Tuchel would love to lean on, it’s a shame how injuries have decimated James’ career so far and completely hampered his progress after such a stellar breakthrough.
After winning the Champions League in 2021l, the following season was particularly productive for the attacking right-back who regularly chipped in with goal contributions.
Injuries began to mount up following Tuchel’s departure, however, with him having played just 11 times since the beginning of last season.
The 24-year-old thankfully has time on his side, however, and could be crucial for England if he can stay fit.
1. Mason Mount – 87 appearances
Speaking of staying fit…
Mount missed the second half of his final season at Chelsea due to injury and is yet to get going at Manchester United for the same reasons, which is a shame, because he looked every bit a world-class midfielder under Tuchel.
The Englishman racked up 19 goals and 19 assists in his 87 appearances under the German, notably assisting Kai Havertz’s winning goal in the Champions League final.
James staying fit is a big if, but if Mount can stay fit – which seems marginally more likely – we’re almost certain he’ll be an England regular under Tuchel once again, having not been capped since the 2022 World Cup.
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