Tuchel casts net far and wide for talent as he ponders 55-player England longlist

Thomas Tuchel has reached out to a host of England players, seeking to build early connections as he works off a 55-man longlist for his first squad announcement next Friday.

The manager, who started his role on 1 January, is preparing for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia at Wembley towards the end of the month and, according to the Football Association’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, has made a dynamic impression.

Bullingham said Tuchel was “living in London and based up at St George’s Park” – the national training centre, where he and his coaching staff have integrated well. Tuchel has been given a one-tournament contract for the 2026 World Cup and there have been conversations with him about the logistics of the finals, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The manager’s immediate priority is to establish bonds, to shape the right environment as Gareth Southgate did before him, and he has had detailed discussions with the main players plus others on the fringes of the squad.

James Maddison, for example, said Tuchel had “touched base” with him and it is known he has also spoken to Ben White, who has been in self-enforced exile since the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Tuchel has cast the net far and wide, with others hoping for a call-up including Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Tyrick Mitchell and Adam Wharton.

“Gareth was very, very connected and very smart culturally and Thomas is the same,” Bullingham said. “He realised early on that you don’t build those connections in the 60 days you get together [in camps across the campaign]. So he’s put a lot of effort into that [reaching out to the players].

“He’s got his 55 on his longlist and makes sure that he’s got a strong connection with them, that they know he’s seen them. It’s not only the players in England that he’s been to see, it’s players playing abroad. That will only stand us in good stead in the long run.”

Bullingham describes Tuchel as an “incredibly charismatic and energetic individual” and so the initial impact he has made has come as no surprise. “He’s looking at some tweaks and changes for how he runs the camp – some quite creative ideas there – but I’m just really pleased with how he’s approached it. He’s really hit the ground running.

Arsenal defender Ben White is among those contacted by Thomas Tuchel. Photograph: EYE4images/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

“You’ve seen him at a number of games. He’s also integrated a small number of his sports team he brought with him into St George’s Park. He’s been up there a lot and spent a lot of time with people. We’ve already started looking at some of the challenges ahead in terms of the World Cup and the different dynamics that presents in terms of climate, distance, altitude.”

Bullingham was asked whether there was the option for Tuchel to stay beyond the World Cup. “I think he always said: ‘I might be here for 10 years but I’ll only ever sign up in two-year cycles,’” Bullingham replied. “The reason for that is he just wants his sole focus to be on the next tournament and be really single-minded with the players on that. It’s very early to judge [about the longer term].”

One player not in Tuchel’s thoughts is Mason Greenwood, Bullingham confirming that the Marseille striker had requested to switch his international allegiance to Jamaica. Greenwood won one cap for England as an 18-year-old in the Nations League tie against Iceland in 2020.

“My understanding is he’s asked to switch,” Bullingham said. “That’s happened formally. Was it because it was indicated to him he wasn’t going to play? No. Gareth was up front about him not being in his thinking because he hadn’t been performing at that level. I’m not aware of any communication with him. It’s a personal decision by him.”

Bullingham spoke at a review of the FA’s performance over the past four years and a look ahead to what it will prioritise over the next four – winning tournaments, tackling discrimination, boosting opportunity for female players and delivering new pitches. The target is more than 6,000 high-quality grass surfaces and 300 3G ones.

Bullingham also said he would be open to a trial of bodycams for referees in the professional game after the success of the initiative at grassroots level. He said it had protected officials, making them feel more confident and reducing instances of abuse.

“In the professional game, I think bodycams are more about: is it something which will be really good for the broadcaster?” Bullingham said. “There’s different views on that. I personally think it is good and it is something which should be trialled and potentially allowed. Initially it might be trialled without audio and then long-term trialled with audio.”