Seven surprise contenders for Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad including Arsenal star

Thomas Tuchel will name his maiden England squad on Friday and there are a number of leftfield contenders for a spot in the group to take on Albania and Latvia at Wembley

Thomas Tuchel is trimming down his 55-man shortlist to a 26-man squad that will be named on Friday.

And while England’s new manager is expected to name plenty of the usual suspects for his long-awaited first games in charge – a World Cup qualifier double header against Albania and Latvia at Wembley – there are also likely to be a number of surprises and new faces.

Myles Lewis-Skelly and Djed Spence are tipped for maiden call-ups after breakthrough campaigns at Arsenal and Tottenham, while Nottingham Forest’s brilliant campaign to date should see Morgan Gibbs-White included again.

But which left-field candidates might the former Chelsea boss be keen to take a closer look at? Here are seven contenders.

James Trafford

Burnley’s clean-sheet machine, with 25 from 35 Championship games, could get the nod instead of Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope as the third-choice keeper behind Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson.

Ben White

Arsenal defender ruled himself out of contention under Gareth Southgate after heavily reported falling out with assistant Steve Holland. But injuries mean there is a shortage of options at centre back and he could be welcomed back into the fold.

Jarrad Branthwaite

Everton defender is highly rated and improving quickly. He may represent the future and it will be interesting to see if Tuchel decides to integrate him immediately.

Harvey Elliott

A bit-part player for the Premier League’s runaway leaders, he has made some big impacts from limited minutes. With clubmate Curtis Jones set to be included, could Elliott also stake a claim for a squad place?

Adam Wharton

Big question around the Crystal Palace star is whether he will be risked following recent return from long-term injury. Eagles boss Oliver Glasner has already stressed he would rather not put the extra exertion on his main man but is resigned to it being Tuchel’s final decision.

Elliot Anderson

One of the most impressive parts of high-flying Forest’s squad, the 22-year-old midfielder remains eligible for Scotland having played for both at Under-21 level. England may be wise to snap him up soon or risk losing him north of the border.

Liam Delap

Ipswich forward has won plenty of admirers despite a difficult campaign for the Tractor Boys. Without his goals Kieran McKenna’s team would look dead and buried in the relegation battle. Beyond Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins there is a back-up vacancy and he should be preferred to the forgotten about Ivan Toney.

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