THOMAS TUCHEL SHOCKS ENGLAND BY AXING THREE KEY STARS
Bellingham, Foden, Grealish Excluded: England Squad Explained
Thomas Tuchel, the manager of England, has explained why he did not include Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish in his team for the next matches against Wales and Latvia.
Bellingham returned to Real Madrid late this month after missing the September camp. He made four appearances before Tuchel's statement, including starting in the team's 5–2 loss against Atletico Madrid.
In his explanation of his omission, the German cited concerns about whether Bellingham was truly prepared to get back.
"We invited the same group into this camp because teamwork and team spirit were at their highest level to date," Tuchel stated. Jude is a very unique player, and remarkable individuals may always be subject to unique regulations. This makes sense. We choose to remain with our simple choice of inviting the same crew for this camp, and Jude is part of that.
Bellingham wanted a call-up to England, but Tuchel says he lacks rhythm.
"He is always deserving of being in the camp. The fact that he hasn't yet found his rhythm at Real Madrid adds another depth to it. He has returned to the squad, but he has only started one game and not completed any full ones, so he is now regaining his rhythm and strength.
His desire was to get called up. There were no [new fitness] concerns throughout our phone conversation. Simply put, he lacks rhythm.
Since Tuchel referred to Bellingham's on-field conduct as "repulsive" in June, Bellingham has not played for England. In his second language, he claimed to have used the incorrect term and later expressed regret for the remark.
"One has nothing to do with the other," the England manager remarked plainly, laughing when his remarks were brought up again in connection with the acknowledgement that the atmosphere in the England camp was at its best the previous time out when Bellingham was not there.
Thomas Tuchel: Grealish and Foden Are Not an Issue
Additionally, neither Phil Foden of Manchester City nor Jack Grealish, who was on loan from Everton, had a spot in Tuchel's squad. Although neither player was included in the September squad, they have both drawn attention at the club level.
Tuchel emphasised, "There is also no issue between me and Phil Foden or Jack Grealish, two very special players." "Phil is once again influencing and making decisions for Manchester City in games." Jack is on the verge of being his best self. There is absolutely no issue. There aren't any personal issues.
Tuchel expressed his gratitude to the players selected for the September internationals, implying that the recent exclusion of Foden and Grealish is due to the high calibre of players England now has and the fierce fight for spots.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, and Jarrod Bowen are among the players selected for wide forward or offensive midfield positions.
England will play Wales in a friendly match at Wembley on October 9 before travelling to Latvia five days later to complete their World Cup qualifying campaign.
CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.
Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.
Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.
Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.
And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.
N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY
N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?
N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.
Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.
Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.
Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.
Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.