Thomas Tuchel will name his first England squad ahead of World Cup qualification fixtures next month and has reached out to Arsenal defender Ben White before making his selection
Thomas Tuchel has held talks with Arsenal star Ben White, ahead of naming his first England squad.
The former Bayern Munich and Chelsea head coach will take charge of the Three Lions for the first time next month, after starting work at the beginning of the year. Tuchel will be in the dugout for home matches against Albania and Latvia to kickstart England’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Much anticipation surrounds Tuchel’s first selection and he is said to have reached out to a number of stars, as he gathers an overview of the nation’s best players. In addition to attending games, the German coach has talked to players and made video calls.
Contact has been made with White, reports the Telegraph, who has not played for England since March 2022. The Arsenal defender left England’s Qatar World Cup camp later that year before later asking not to be considered by Gareth Southgate.
Making contact with White has seen Tuchel follow through on commitment to a fresh start. Speaking after England’s World Cup qualification draw, the 51-year-old confirmed he would reach out to England’s exiles.
Tuchel said: “Yes. I will reach out to him [White]. It should be clean and a clean start and a clear narrative. It starts from January. I will be in the stadiums from January. I will also not distract the players and they should just know, ‘OK, the boss is there from January.’
“Then I will of course try to speak to them, but also be respectful to the schedule that they have, because schedule is busy in January, especially in the Premier League.”
White will not have long to impress Tuchel have only just made his return froom injury. The 27-year-old came off the bench against West Ham having been out of action since November after undergoing knee surgery.
Tuchel has also made contact with north London rival James Maddison. The Spurs ace missed out on Euro 2024 selection in the summer.
“He has touched base,” Maddison said. “I think he was reaching out to a lot of players who would be in the selection, probably quite a big pool of players that the FA have identified.
“I’m hungry to be part of that. I feel like I’m in good form, my numbers are pretty good, there’s not too many midfielders who can out-score and out-assist me.
“Especially now when I’m feeling good as well, feeling sharp. I know I can affect most games. It’s just about continuing to do that. Like I always say, if I play at that level for Tottenham, then the rest will take care of itself because I have a really strong self-belief.”
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