Glenn Hoddle explains why Thomas Tuchel's short-term £7.5m deal is good news for England

Glenn Hoddle reckons Thomas Tuchel has what it takes to turn England into beaters. Tuchel got his tenure as England manager off to a perfect, if largely underwhelming, start by leading his side to relatively bloodless wins over Albania and Latvia at Wembley last month.

But there are still some observers who have reservations about the German coach being in charge of the English national team. Hoddle, who held the post for two and a half years in the late nineties, is certainly not one of them and is positively bullish about the appointment, declaring: “I think we have got the right jockey on the right horse at the moment.

“It doesn’t mean you are always going to win the race but you are giving yourself the best chance.” And Hoddle thinks the short-term nature of the Tuchel project will work in England’s favour as they target a first trophy in 60 years at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Tuchel has an 18-month, £7.5million contract and his brief is simply to bring home the World Cup. And Hoddle - speaking at the County Ground before sending Swindon fans on their way in a leg of the Sky Bet EFL Every Minute Matters cycle relay - likes the hired-gun approach, explaining: “Thomas doesn’t give a monkey’s what happens after 18 months … which is a good thing.

READ MORE:

“He’ll do it as he wants to do it. He’s not going to worry about the media, he’s not going to worry about the FA. It will be a case of it being my way or the highway.

“I think he’s honest and he will be upfront with the players. I’m encouraged by the fact he is our manager. He is a good choice, a very good catch. He’s astute, knows the game and will get the extra bit from the players.

“I think we have got a good chance of going to the next level. We’ve got Cole Palmer, we’ve got , we’ve got , we’ve got wonderful talent and Thomas Tuchel has got every chance of getting a bit more out of them.”

And Hoddle is particularly encouraged by Tuchel’s belief that he can instil fearlessness into the England squad. Hoddle goes on: “He came out with a magnificent quote, saying that, in the tournament, we looked like a team that feared going out more than a team that was excited about winning it.

“I agree. It was like that. But we are good enough to go toe-to-toe with the talent we have got. And I think Tuchel will do that.”

The Sky Bet EFL Every Minute Matters Relay is a gruelling 4,000-kilometre 28-day journey that features an incredible 72 legs, stopping off at each and every EFL club before culminating at Wembley on 21st April. But unlike traditional charity events, the ‘Every Minute Matters’ relay isn’t asking for fans to donate cash but instead is asking fans to give up just 15 minutes to learn CPR.

The relay is the latest phase of Sky Bet and British Heart Foundation’s pioneering Every Minute Matters campaign which set a goal a year ago of encouraging 270,000 football fans to learn CPR – the equivalent to three Wembley Stadiums – by May 2025. With less than two months to go, the campaign has hit a remarkable 235,000 – meaning Every Minute Matters is within sight of its incredible target.

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our