Thomas Tuchel 'wanted Premier League job' before becoming England boss

Thomas Tuchel was reportedly eyeing up a return to the before accepting the England job.

The former head coach Tuchel, who has been handed an 18-month contract with the view that – where a string of semi-final and final heartbreaks at major tournaments

The German's time at Stamford Bridge, his only spell in English football, with the Blues' hierarchy butting heads with Tuchel, and relieving him of his duties just six games into the 2022/23 season, despite his surprising debut campaign success.

However, German football expert Raphael Honigstein has now claimed that England - specifically, a move to the - was always in the 51-year-old's sights.

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“He was really angling for a job in England,” Honigstein revealed, speaking to on The Rest Is podcast. “He wanted to be back in England. He loved it at Chelsea.

“He kept on talking, even at when he was boss there: how much he loves working with English players, how the dressing room mentality is good. I think he was so willing to listen when they came knocking that, from that perspective, it did not surprise me at all.”

With Erik ten Hag under immense pressure after a poor start to the campaign with , Tuchel had been touted as his potential replacement. The German was also tipped to make a shock move to after departed, but Honigstein didn't specify who was courting Tuchel.

Regardless, Tuchel now has his wish, having returned to English soil. Still, Honigstein further believes that an international role is more suited to his compatriot, who has often seen tension arise between himself and those above him at the club level.

“The squad is wonderful, especially in the final third of the pitch—there is so much talent,” Honigstein continued. “But also, unlike at Bayern, Chelsea, and Dortmund, where he always had issues at some stage with the people above him, there is no one above him.

“None of the things that have rubbed him the wrong way, that have really bothered him in his recent jobs, apply. I think that is the beauty of it. You have full control. If you don’t like the particular player, he’s not under contract, you just stop calling him up.

“If somebody upstairs doesn’t like it, they're not gonna say anything. It’s all down to you. So, I think he will absolutely relish that power that comes with being the one person, and the only person, that matters when it comes to the squad.”

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