The FA ended their search yesterday for Gareth Southgate‘s successor after Thomas Tuchel agreed to become the next England manager.
The appointment of the 51-year-old German will be considered controversial given England’s rivalry with his native country.
But bosses at the FA will be hoping that is all the controversy Tuchel will court during his time as the Three Lions manager after his ‘messy’ love life once became the centre of dressing room gossip.
Tuchel’s private life was a hot topic for Chelsea players in his final days at Stamford Bridge in 2022 – with players discussing his failed marriage and his new younger girlfriend Natalie Guerriero Max.
The German manager was said to have lost the confidence of the Chelsea squad due to his difficult characteristics and erratic behaviour, according to The Independent at the time.
Tuchel’s private life was said to be contributing factor to his dismissal as it changed the players’ perception of him.
In April 2022 Thomas Tuchel and his now ex-wife Sissi (pictured together) announced they would be getting a divorce
But it didn’t take long for Tuchel to get over his 13 year marriage after he was pictured with new younger girlfriend Natalie Max in July 2022
While many Chelsea fans were dismayed at the decision to get rid of him, talkSPORT broadcaster and Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan revealed he would also have sacked him.
‘There’s a lot more behind the scenes of Tuchel that would make most people’s eyes water as to the reasons why Todd Boehly made that decision and it wasn’t just a case of losing to Dinamo Zagreb, it was case of a whole raft of other things – that’s Todd Boehly’s gift to tell people what that is,’ Jordan said on talkSPORT at the time.
‘But it opened my eyes and I would’ve done exactly the same thing as Todd Boehly did which is ‘you can go mate’.’
In April 2022 Tuchel and his wife Sissi announced they would be getting a divorce after 13 years of marriage. Friends of the couple said that they had ‘exhausted all avenues’ and that there was no hope of a reconciliation.
As a result, the couple filed for divorce and parted ways officially in May after a judge at London’s High Court accepted their request.
‘Sissi and Thomas have tried to avoid splitting but in the end there was no other way,’ said a source.
‘It is very sad and now it is all about making sure their daughters are the top priority. Papers were lodged last week to get the divorce under way.’
Tuchel and his wife – pictured after the Champions League final win in 2021 – had been married for 13 years and have two children but decided to part ways
Tuchel as his now ex-wife Sissi pictured in 2018 watching the Rolex Paris Masters final between Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov
Friends of the couple said that they had ‘exhausted all avenues’ and that there was no hope of a reconciliation
Tuchel was pictured relaxing with his Brazilian girlfriend, Natalie Max, on boat in Sardinia before heading back to their £20,000-a-night private villa
Former journalist Sissi moved to Britain in August 2021, seven months after Tuchel joined Chelsea from the French team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
He initially stayed in a hotel before the family set up home in Cobham, Surrey, near Chelsea’s training ground.
Sissi gave up her job at the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung to bring up their family.
She was seen running across the pitch at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao before leaping into her then husband’s arms after Chelsea secured a 1-0 Champions League victory over Manchester City.
While manager of PSG, Tuchel and his family lived in the upmarket Hauts-de-Seine district of Paris.
Sissi was credited with helping Tuchel to excel during a managerial career that has seen him win a clutch of trophies in Germany, France and England.
‘Sissi is no fool, she isn’t your archetypal footballer’s wife, she is a clever woman,’ said the source.
But it didn’t take Tuchel long to get over his marriage as he was pictured with his new Brazilian girlfriend, Natalie Max, in July. The pair were seen relaxing on boat in Sardinia before heading back to their £20,000-a-night private villa.
Tuchel and mother of two Natalie, 37, were said to be ‘smitten with each other’ with a source telling MailOnline at the time: ‘They’ve been dating since May and things are already getting serious between them.
‘Natalie flew to Sardinia to join Thomas on their first holiday and they’ve been spending a lot of quality time together in west London, where she lives with her two children and dog.
‘Tuchel is really lovely and has made Natalie’s friends feel welcome, he’s definitely in this for the long-haul.’
Whilst he was reportedly in advanced talks with the FA about becoming England’s next manager – some fans were expressed their fury that the next boss of the Three Lions could be a German.
Tuchel had been out of the game since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season when they failed to win the Bundesliga.
The German has an impressive CV having previously won the Champions League while manager of Chelsea
He previously managed the likes of Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, famously lifting the Champions League with the Blues in 2021 – the year he also won the award for the world’s best club coach
Tuchel left Chelsea under a cloud with talkSPORT presenter and Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan claiming that the reasons ‘would make people’s eyes water’
He previously managed the likes of Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea, famously lifting the Champions League with the Blues in 2021 – the year he also won the award for the world’s best club coach.
But England fans were split on whether the man to replace Gareth Southgate should be English.
One said: ‘No thanks. Give the job to someone ENGLISH’, another wrote: ‘Begging a German to manage us, embarrassing!’ Another said simply: ‘A German managing England? Nein!’ A fourth said: ‘A German manager for England is just wrong’.
