TROY DEENEY REVEALS WHY TUCHEL BRUTALLY SNUBBED JACK GREALISH
Thomas Tuchel's snub of Jack Grealish for England explained by Troy Deeney. Analysis of Grealish's elite creative stats for Everton and the challenge he faces to make the World Cup squad.
Troy Deeney has instructed Jack Grealish on what he has to do to be included in Thomas Tuchel's England team for the World Cup the following year.
Tuchel explained his decision to keep the same England team from last month's performance when he kept Grealish out of the squad on Friday.
The Three Lions scored seven goals and kept two clean sheets in their victories over Serbia and Andorra in September.
However, time is running out, and Grealish must be thinking about what else he can do to get Tuchel's attention, given that he leads the Premier League in crucial passes.
James Garner, a midfielder for Everton who is in excellent form, also hopes to be included in England's World Cup team.
Troy Deeney argues that the absence of Jack Grealish is due to the team's unity.
The winger's performances would contradict Alex Crook's assessment that Grealish hasn't done enough to be considered for the England football team.
Even if Everton's September was disappointing, the 30-year-old has kept looking more and more like the player he used to be.
In addition to being the most fouled player in the Premier League, Grealish leads the league in assists, projected assists, and opportunities created.
The winger has completely changed Everton, but Tuchel still seems to be avoiding him.
For the time being, Deeney believes the cause may be due to an event outside Grealish's control.
After the roster was revealed on Friday, the former striker told talkSPORT, "We have to start looking at what Tuchel has shown us."
"Mavericks and people who colour outside the lines are not to his taste."
Jack Grealish and Ivan Toney both exhibit that, thus I believe that for Jack to rejoin this team, he would need to be outstanding for a considerable amount of time and generate a lot of media attention.
"Not because he's not playing well—he's played really well at Everton—but I do believe Tuchel wants a good, cohesive team, and I believe he believes that adding Jack Grealish will make things a little different."
Grealish can only be ignored by Thomas Tuchel for so long.
Naturally, the German will place a strong priority on maintaining unity among Tuchel's team.
When the England manager selects his team for the World Cup the following year, talent and form will eventually have to be the deciding factors.
When that day comes, Grealish simply cannot be overlooked if his present form continues throughout the season.
Every championship-winning team needs a maverick who can make a difference on their own, whether it's by having the guts to do something that another player may not or by accomplishing the impossible.
Grealish is capable of doing just that, and as long as he continues to play for Everton, he will be on Tuchel's mind.
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.