Thomas Tuchel relishing his ‘most exciting challenge’ after taking PSG helm
The highly-rated 44-year-old German will succeed Unai Emery.
Thomas Tuchel has set his sights on turning Paris St Germain into a Champions League force after signing a two-year contract to become the new coach of the French champions.
The highly-rated 44-year-old German, who has been out of work since leaving Borussia Dortmund last summer, will succeed Unai Emery.
Emery’s two-year spell in charge at the Parc des Princes will come to an end after PSG’s final game of the season at Caen on Saturday.
“It is with great joy, pride and ambition that I join this great global football club that is Paris St Germain,” Tuchel said on the club’s website.
“I look forward to working with all these great players, all of whom are among the best on the planet.
“Together with my staff we will do everything to help the team push their limits to the highest international level.
“There is extraordinary potential in Paris and this is the most exciting challenge that I have received.
“I am also looking forward to experiencing the Parc des Princes, a legendary European football stadium with a fantastic atmosphere.”
Tuchel, who had been linked with the Arsenal job before it became apparent he was headed for Paris, was appointed as Jurgen Klopp’s successor at Dortmund in 2015 and won the DFB-Pokal last season, but left after falling out with the club hierarchy.
Before Dortmund, Tuchel was in charge of Mainz for five years.
Despite his reputation as one of the most tactically-astute, forward-thinking coaches in Europe, that DFB-Pokal success is the only major trophy he has won.
His task is to turn big-spending PSG into a side capable of winning Europe’s top club competition.
Emery’s side won the domestic treble this season, but went out of the Champions League in the last 16 to Real Madrid.
He added: “He is strongly imbued with the principles of spectacular and clinical football that have always been at the heart of German football, especially on the international scene.
“His ambitious personality, his strong taste for attacking football and his strength of character are part of the style we have always sought at Paris St Germain.
“This is the style that fans of our club have always looked for and admired.”
