While the FA would have needed permission from Newcastle United to interview Howe, Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea last April.
Among the English and British coaches not interviewed for the job were also Sean Dyche, Steve Cooper, Frank Lampard, Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin.
While there is support for Tuchel and acknowledgement that he is a top-class coach, Bullingham’s claims have caused disappointment among English and British managers who do not feel they were given a fair chance of landing the job.
Bullingham also claimed that English and British coaches “are not quite in that place yet” in terms of their development, which has been met with dismay given some of the managers who were not interviewed have never even met him.
Howe, Potter and Lampard have all managed in the Champions League, as well as top clubs in the Premier League, and have coached a number of international players from England and other nations. Cooper won the Under-17 World Cup as England’s coach.
Asked specifically whether or not the FA had interviewed any English managers, Bullingham said: “We interviewed approximately 10 people and we did interview some English candidates within that. As to anything further you wouldn’t expect me to divulge any details really.”
Bullingham later changed his wording by saying “we spoke to approximately 10 throughout the process”, which prompted this response from Everton manager Dyche: “They mentioned approximately 10, I don’t know how it is approximately. It is either 10 or it is not. I was quite intrigued by that. Out of the 10, I would imagine there have been some English or British coaches. I don’t know. I certainly wasn’t [interviewed] – not that I asked to be.”
Howe also confirmed he was not one of the 10 when asked if he had been interviewed for the England job. He replied by saying: “No, I wasn’t.
“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.”
Gary Lineker had claimed that former Chelsea and Everton manager Ancelotti had been approached by the FA, but the Italian said: “The English national team wanted me? No, I didn’t speak to them. I wish Tuchel the best.”
Defending the FA’s decision to overlook English and British managers, Bullingham said: “I think any federation in the world that is looking to hire a senior manager, clearly you would love to have five to 10 domestic candidates who are coaching clubs in your domestic league, challenging and winning honours in your domestic league and European football. We are not quite in that place at the moment.
He added: “We have got to keep helping our young coaches to get the best opportunities they can and to get them good opportunities at clubs. We would love to have more English coaches managing in the Premier League, for example. I think there is a balance there.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta joked that he has been in England for so long that he now “looks English”, while also confirming that he was not among the coaches to be approached by the FA.
On England appointing a foreign manager, Arteta said: “I understand the opinions and the feelings. I understand that it can feel sad for some people not to have an English manager.
“I think I would take a lot of pride that a lot of managers and a lot of people would do anything to be the England manager.
“That’s related to how we’re treated in this country as foreigners. How much we love the passion, the respect, the history and the way that things are done in this country. I can say personally that you feel so related to where you are, even if you are not from here. I think there are very few countries that could say that.
“The feeling I have, for me this is like home. I’ve been here for 22 years. I have that feeling towards it because I always feel respected, welcomed and inspired by this country and the history of football and how you get treated daily.
“I think that’s something you should be really proud of as a country.”
