FA defends WFH agreement with Thomas Tuchel as new England manager misses Premier League games | OneFootball

Tuchel has missed three Premier League weekends in his first six-and-a-half weeks in the job

The FA have defended their arrangement with Thomas Tuchel that gives the new England manager the flexibility to make regular trips back to Germany and miss Premier League games.

Tuchel has missed three Premier League weekends in his first six-and-a-half weeks in the job.

He also missed FA Cup third-round weekend and all four Carabao Cup semi-final matches

Tuchel was unveiled at Wembley in October but delayed his start date until January 1, when he began work with an 18-month brief to win the 2026 World Cup.

The Times revealed the FA have an agreement whereby he can return home to see his two children, even if it means missing out on the chance to watch England players in action.

The FA points to the fact that Tuchel has a base in London and has attended 17 matches at home and abroad in his first 47 days as England manager, while the German has made numerous visits to St George's Park.

An FA statement said: “Thomas has attended 17 matches - in England and abroad - to watch English players since he joined in January, and is working full-time to assess players for his first squad announcement next month.”

When Tuchel was confirmed as England manager in October, he said: “I love to live in England and I'm looking forward to living again in England. I want to be close to the Premier League, I want to be close to the majority of the players. But of course, the schedule will allow me to be close to my family and children in Germany.”

Tuchel’s first game in charge is a World Cup qualifier against Albania on March 21.