Thomas Tuchel has ‘55 players’ on England list after ‘hitting ground running’

Tuchel takes charge of his first England games, against Albania and Latvia, later this month

England manager Thomas Tuchel is considering up to 55 players as he prepares to name his first squad next week, with FA chief executive Mark Bullingham impressed with how the German has started by “hitting the ground running” ahead of his first games in charge.

Bullingham said Tuchel is living in London and is based at St George’s Park, with reports that th 51-year-old is working from home in Germany wide of the mark after he signed an 18-month contract through to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Bullingham did not rule out that Tuchel could stay longer than that, with the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager preferring to work under short-term deals, but the head of the FA said Tuchel has already made a “positive impact” in building on the work done by predecessor Gareth Southgate.

“It's been brilliant,” said Bullingham, as Tuchel prepares for this month’s opening World Cup qualifying fixtures against Albania and Latvia. “He’s hit the ground running. We’ve seen him at a number of games and he’s also integrated the support team he brought with him into St George’s Park. He’s been up there a lot and spent a lot of time with people.

“We’ve already started to look at some of the challenges ahead in terms of [the World Cup] and the dynamics that that presents in terms of climate, distance, altitude, and that kind of thing. We all want to get to the first game and we’re looking forward to that.”

Bullingham also praised Tuchel for being on the front foot since taking charge. The German manager has already made contact with a huge number of players in an attempt to foster and develop relationships with his squad, with the stated target of winning the World Cup in 2026.

“I think that Gareth was very connected and very smart culturally and I think Thomas is the same,” Bullingham said. “He realised early on that you don't build those connections in the 60 days you get together [at major tournaments], so he's put a lot of effort into that. He's got his 55 on his longlist. He wants to make sure that he's got a strong connection with them, that they know that he's seen them.

Tuchel and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham at a game between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa last month (Getty Images)

“It's not just players in England that he's seen; he’s gone to see some of the players playing abroad as well. And I think that that will only stand him in good stead. I expected it, really. He's an incredibly charismatic and energetic individual, so I expected that positive impact. I know he's looking at some tweaks and changes, with how he wants the camp, but we’re really pleased with how he’s approached it.

“Our aim was always to build on the good job Gareth has done, but I think he's that kind of person anyway where he would always want to build those cultural connections with the players, and he's put a lot of time and effort into that. From my point of view it’s really impressive.”

While Bellingham said Tuchel’s focus is on the 2026 World Cup and has always preferred working under short-term cycles, he did not rule out the possibility that the German may want to extend his contract.

“I think he always said I might be here for 10 years, but I’ll only ever sign in two-year cycles effectively,” Bullingham said. “The reason for that is he wants the sole focus to be on the next tournament and, with the players, be really single minded on that. It’s very early to judge but I can say he's made a brilliant impact already so we're very happy with it.”