The man touted for Pompey - now former Chelsea and Wigan Athletic man's key to future hopes of English football
He was once the favourite to assume the Fratton hot-seat eventually filled by John Mousinho.
Now the figure touted for Pompey is going to be key to our nation’s hopes of achieving World Cup glory.
That’s after Thomas Tuchel was this morning confirmed as the new England head coach, succeeding Gareth Southgate
Tuchel was confirmed in the position by the FA on an 18-month contract, but it was the appointment of Anthony Barry as his assistant which links to a figure mentioned with the Blues 21 months ago.
Barry was one of the names in the frame to succeed Danny Cowley, with the Scouser becoming a front-runner with the bookies for the post at one stage.
The 38-year-old was certainly admired as sporting director, Rich Hughes, spearheaded the recruitment process, but one of the game’s brightest, young coaches was not believed to have ever been close to assuming the position taken on by Mousinho.
Instead the man who was assistant head coach at Chelsea under Tuchel went to Germany with Bayern Munich in April, with his link-up continuing with the man he will now work with at St George’s Park.
There is disappointment in some quarters in a foreign appointment for the top England role, but Barry does ensure a homegrown figure in the camp.
He told the FA: ‘For any Englishman in football, working with the national team is the pinnacle and I didn’t hesitate when Thomas asked me to come and join him again. I know what a great place St. George’s Park is and how much of an advantage it gives our England teams, and the support it gives to coaches.
‘This squad is very talented and have done so much to bring the country together, I look forward to meeting and working with them on this exciting project.’
FA CEO Mark Bullingham highlighted Barry’s international as well as club experience as he takes on the England No2 role
He told the FA website: We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him. Our recruitment process has been very thorough.
‘Before the Euros we had a contingency plan and outlined exactly the qualities we would be looking for in a coach. Since Gareth resigned, we have worked through the candidate pool, meeting a number of coaches and evaluating them against that criteria. Thomas was very impressive and stood out with his vast expertise and his drive.
‘Anthony is a top English talent and also has international experience with Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Portugal.
‘Fundamentally we wanted to hire a coaching team to give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that. Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.
‘I would like to thank Lee for stepping up and doing everything we asked of him – he is a very talented coach and a major part of our England pathway.
‘He will now focus on retaining the U21 EURO title in the summer. These are exciting times for England fans at senior and MU21 level, and we look forward to welcoming Thomas and Anthony when they begin work in January.’