WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN! Guardiola's huge England U-turn revealed as Tuchel exit clauses emerge after World Cup heartbreak

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Pep Guardiola had agreed to take the

England

job in 2024 only to perform a dramatic U-turn, with the Spanish coach linked with the role once more.

Current Three Lions’ boss

Thomas Tuchel

remains under huge pressure following the nation’s

World Cup

exit

at the hands of Argentina.

The German’s tactics in the second-half in Atlanta have been widely criticised, with many claiming that the former

Chelsea

and

Bayern Munich

boss should be moved on just months after putting pen to paper on a new contract with the FA.

One of the names touted as Tuchel’s potential replacement is former

Manchester City

boss

Pep Guardiola

. And it has now been revealed just how close he was to the job previously.

The former

Barcelona

coach verbally agreed to take the job back in 2024 following talks with FA chiefs, only to perform a change his mind and decide to stay at the Etihad Stadium for a further two seasons, as per

The Athletic

.

Guardiola is of course unattached, having left City after a glittering decade, albeit he has already confirmed that he will take a break from football. Speaking after his exit from City was confirmed, he said: “Rest. No plans to train for a while.

“Otherwise I would be here. I need to step back, I will not train for a while. Many people when I said it will be my last season said after three months you will come back. I don’t think so, I will take a while, but I have to prove to myself [that I need a rest].”

He added: “It’s not 10 years – except half a year in New York, it has been 17 or 18 years every three days with people demanding trebles and Premier Leagues and I need to breathe a little bit and relax. I will be out for a while.

“I feel really satisfied, happy and proud. It has been the experience of my life at City, otherwise I would not have been 10 years. I cannot be more grateful for the amount of love and affection.”

Even if Guardiola had interest in the job this time around, the FA have backed themselves into a corner when it comes to Tuchel. It appears that a clause written into his deal has made a change highly unlikely.

It is reported that there was a break clause in his contract that would have allowed both parties to end their partnership should England exit before the World Cup quarter-finals. With the Three Lions having gone further, any severance package would likely have to be agreed upon.

Regardless, Tuchel seems keen to continue in the role. Speaking after the Argentina defeat, he said: "We keep on going with the contract until the home Euros. I'm looking forward to that even though right now it's difficult to look that far ahead."

Tuchel’s current deal is set to run until the end of the 2028 European championships, having only penned a new deal in February.

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