Tuchel Omits Bellingham, Foden and Grealish

Thomas Tuchel omitted Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish from a largely unchanged 24-man England squad for the Wales friendly and World Cup qualifier in Latvia. Tuchel said the omissions were not personal and defended them as prioritising form, match rhythm and group dynamics to preserve team spirit and continuity after the successful Serbia camp. He said Bellingham — who requested a call-up and is returning from shoulder surgery — lacks full match rhythm at Real Madrid and insisted there was "no problem" between them, adding that special players can have special rules. Tuchel said he might have left Bukayo Saka out had Noni Madueke been fit and revealed he personally phoned Adam Wharton and Trevoh Chalobah to explain their non‑selection while not calling Kyle Walker because others are currently ahead of him. The decisions have divided opinion, with some praising a merit-based approach and others viewing the omission of a generational talent as a bold, potentially risky stance on accountability and squad hierarchy.