Thomas Tuchel made goals flow for Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane. He created systems to coax consistency from the temperamental talents of Neymar, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele. He won the Champions League with Timo Werner up front.
Put it like that and it is easy to see why the FA have been seduced. Imagine what Tuchel’s tactical mastery might do with this wealth of creative English talent. Imagine the whirl of magnetic discs and felt-tipped arrows on white boards around St George’s Park as he goes in quest of the secret to elude all the others.