Eddie Howe and Carlo Ancelotti have revealed they were not contacted by the FA ahead of Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as England manager, while Pep Guardiola refused to say whether he had conversations about the role.
On Wednesday, FA CEO Mark Bullingham said the search to find a permanent successor had involved the FA interviewing “approximately 10 people”, adding: “We interviewed some English candidates within that.”
However, when Howe – one of only four English head coaches in the Premier League and currently the highest-placed with Newcastle – said when asked if he was one of the managers interviewed for the England job: “No, I wasn’t.”
When pressed on if there was any contact from the FA, he added: “No.”
When asked if he was surprised he wasn’t contacted, Howe said: “Absolutely not. I think England have to do what is right for them and only they will know the processes they have gone through and the decisions they have made, and I’m certainly not the type of person that is going to analyse that.
“For me, it’s about Newcastle and trying to win games, and it is hard enough to do that if you are 100 per cent focussed. I will always remain that way to my work.
“But I know if you drop your levels or your focus the job becomes impossible, and at no stage have I allowed myself to do that.”
Real Madrid boss Ancelotti was also asked whether he was a candidate. “No. I didn’t hear from the English national team at all,” he said. “They’ve chosen a very good coach, in my opinion. He’s very strong tactically and he has proven so throughout his whole career. I wish him the best.”
Guardiola, meanwhile, avoided answering whether he had contact with the FA.
“Thomas Tuchel is the manager. I congratulate them. The FA and Thomas for a big job. I wish England – for the fact I am nine years here – the very best for both of them,” he said.
Guardiola then appeared frustrated when he was asked again about contact with the FA. “Thomas Tuchel is the manager. So forget about it,” he said. “I am the manager of Man City. The conversations I have is with Man City. This is what it is.
“Tuchel is the manager already. Thomas is there. This is the most important thing. The rest is not important.”
On Thursday, Everton boss Sean Dyche confirmed he was not one of the 10 candidates.
“It’s a respected job but I don’t think it’s a dream, having spoken to a few England managers – it’s a massively challenging job and changed over the years.
“It’s certainly something that at some point of your career you’d like to have a look at. But it’s certainly not my time now – for lots of coaches.”
Howe: Tuchel a great appointment
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe:
“Speaking about Thomas himself, I’ve got a relationship with him. I was lucky enough to go and see him work at Chelsea when I was out of work. What a brilliant guy. What a great person and a great coach.
“I had two days with him and thought it was fascinating and I really enjoyed his company.
“I really wish him well. I think he’s a great appointment and I hope he leads England to many trophies.
“I have always said, and I have been very clear on this, my preference would be for an English coach, but if you are going to go for foreign, go for one of the best and I certainly think Thomas is that.”
Arteta: I would have played for England | Some Arsenal players have smiles on their faces after Tuchel news
Mikel Arteta says he would have happily played for England but confirmed he was not one of the candidates the FA approached to replace Gareth Southgate.
The Arsenal boss was at Everton in 2010 when he was approached by then-England boss Fabio Capello, who thought Arteta might be eligible to play for the country where he had been resident for five years.
The FA later stated their understanding of FIFA’s complex eligibility rules would have rendered the Spaniard ineligible, despite having never featured for his country’s senior side.
He said: “I was thinking about that the other day. I was actually talking to (Arsenal sporting director) Edu about that at lunch. Yeah, I would have done it.
“I feel very proud about it. I was very realistic, looking at the players Spain had at the time, and how big a challenge I had.
“You need to know your level, that is very important. Look in the mirror. In the end it didn’t happen. But it was good, at least to think about it.
“It was OK. If you cannot do it, you cannot do it. I wasn’t prepared to fight against the world.”
On Tuchel’s appointment he said: “I didn’t speak to the FA. I’m not one of those 10. I have enough with all the responsibilities and things we want to achieve and do here. At the moment, I’m not thinking about it.
“I think Tuchel is one of the best coaches in the world. The way his teams are set up and it’s very exciting times. I spoke to a few players, they had a smiles on their faces. That’s a great sign.
“I understand the opinions but that’s the responsibility of the FA to say the filter is either the English manager or the best manager from another country. I can feel sad for some people not to have an English manager there. The history tells you how important this could be. But I would take a lot of pride that a lot of people and managers would do anything to become the England manager.
“As a foreigner, how we are treated in this country, how much we love the passion, respect the history and how things are done in this country. You feel so related to where you are even if you’re not from here. Very few countries can say that.
“The feeling that I have, this is like home. I’ve been here 22 years, I’ve had that feeling towards it. I feel welcome, respected and inspired by this country. That’s something that as a country, you have to be proud of it.”
Maresca: Tuchel has made approach to take Chelsea analyst to England
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca:
“All the best to Thomas and nothing more. If people in charge decide it’s him, it’s because they are convinced. I’m not the one to judge if it’s right or wrong.
“I know that one of [Chelsea’s backroom staff] has been approached, one of the analysts. We are quite open to leave people to take chances if they want to take it. The other one, [goalkeeper coach] Hilario, I heard something but there has not been any approach yet.”