Eighteen months to win the World Cup Tuchel targets second star on shirt as he takes 'biggest job in football'

Thomas Tuchel made clear his target is to land the World Cup and add a second star to the England shirt, as the German acknowledged it could be win or bust for him after his appointment on an 18-month deal.

- Jacob Steinberg

Tuchel, the third foreigner to take charge of the senior men's team, was not shy to set his sights on silverware as he revealed his excitement at his unveiling at Wembley. The former Chelsea head coach, who will get to work on 1 January after signing a contract with the Football Association in secret last Tuesday, was straightforward in saying his mission is to end England's quest for a first major men's trophy since 1966.

The focus is on the 2026 World Cup, and the length of Tuchel's deal suggests he and the FA are thinking in the short term. The 51-year-old, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, was asked whether extending a contract worth £5m a year will depend on England becoming world champions.

"I don't know," Tuchel said. "It depends. I know what you're saying - no, it's not a gamble, but we speak it out now very clearly why we are here and what we want to achieve. We are not shy of it. We are absolutely open about it. It does not help the more often we speak about it, but it should be out there and then we can set the standards, values and principles, because then we have to live up to them for 18 months.

"Let's judge it when we have done it. If we decide it was a failure, then we will not continue. If we decide it was not a failure, then we will continue. No one can predict the future. It feels absolutely right for me to do so; it feels clear and easy for me to explain. When it's easy to explain, it's normally good."