England return to action in October for a friendly against Wales, followed by a 2026 World Cup qualifying tie away in Latvia.
Thomas Tuchel has named his fourth squad in charge of the Three Lions. And things finally seem to be coming together under the former Chelsea boss.
England beat Serbia 5-0 in their best performance under Tuchel yet last time out, following on from a 2-0 victory against Andorra. The results went a long way toward erasing the disappointment of a 3-1 friendly defeat at home to Senegal in June.
There’s a lot of continuity in the latest squad announcement. Ruben Loftus-Cheek has replaced Adam Wharton, while Jarell Quansah comes in ahead of the injured Tino Livramento.
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Confirmed England squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, James Trafford
Defenders: Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence, John Stones
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Loftus-Cheek , Declan Rice , Morgan Rogers
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Ollie Watkins
England Squawka Score squad
That’s Tuchel’s latest squad. But who have been the best English players in Europe’s top five leagues so far this season? Using the Squawka Score, which is based on the statistical leaders for metrics relevant to their positions, we’ve picked a 26-man England squad for the October international break, focusing on players in Europe’s top five leagues who are currently available for selection (not injured or retired). Additionally, only players with at least 180 league minutes under their belts this season will be considered.
Goalkeepers
Squawka Score selection: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Nick Pope
England’s top goalkeepers are all Premier League-based, and there shouldn’t be too many surprises here. Jordan Pickford is the highest-scoring English goalkeeper with a Squawka Score of 73%. The 78-time international is a vital player for Everton. He’s kept two clean sheets and saved one of the two penalties he’s faced so far this season. Pickford’s passing is also elite, with 10.5 completed long passes per 90 minutes this season, far outstripping his England rivals.
Crystal Palace‘s Dean Henderson is next on 66%, building his score with an impressive 0.53 goals prevented per 90 and a save percentage of 73.33%. Newcastle‘s Nick Pope is on 65% and makes this alternative squad ahead of James Trafford, who scores 63% and has lost his place at Manchester City to Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Defenders
Squawka Score selection: Ainsley Maitland-Niles, James Hill, Tyrick Mitchell, Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, Trevoh Chalobah, Fikayo Tomori, Tyrone Mings, Tosin Adarabioyo
Former Arsenal defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles is enjoying a superb season in France with Lyon so far. The left-back has averaged 1.83 interceptions per 90, alongside 0.33 big chances created per 90, and two assists to run up a Squawka Score of 70%. All five of the 28-year-old’s caps so far came back in 2020, and it would be a shock to see him included by Tuchel any time soon. But he’s certainly in form and starts in this team ahead of Bournemouth‘s James Hill, who scores 65%.
On the left, we return to Crystal Palace with the ever-reliable Tyrick Mitchell. The two-time international has been excellent for the Eagles again, scoring 69% so far thanks to a 60.47% ground duel success, 2.5 tackles won per 90 and the winning goal in a recent 2-1 victory over West Ham United. Backing up Mitchell is Manchester City wonderkid Nico O’Reilly who, despite being a natural attacking midfielder, continues to perform superbly for Pep Guardiola as a full-back. O’Reilly has blocked 0.89 shots per 90 this term, averaging the same number of successful dribbles.
It won’t exactly come as a surprise to hear that Marc Guehi has been the top-performing English centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues so far in 2025-26. Another Crystal Palace man in this squad, Guehi has won 76% of his ground duels and made 0.17 last-man tackles per 90 minutes, while also proving vital at the other end with a goal and assist so far. Partnering Guehi is Chelsea‘s Trevoh Chalobah, who just pips his old teammate with 76.92% ground duel success, alongside 2.99 aerial duels won and 6.16 clearances per 90 minutes. Like Guehi, Chalobah has proven his worth in the attacking box as well, with two goals in six Premier League outings.
Providing the defensive back-up are AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori (69%) — who would be a popular inclusion and is criminally under-capped — Aston Villa‘s Tyrone Mings (67%), and Chalobah’s Chelsea partner Tosin Adarabioyo, though Eric Dier and Jarell Quansah also sit level on 64% with the latter. The likes of Lloyd Kelly (63%), Lewis Dunk (63%) and Michael Keane (62%) just miss out.
Midfielders
Squawka Score selection: Elliot Anderson, James Garner, Curtis Jones, Declan Rice, Adam Wharton, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Eberechi Eze
Nottingham Forest‘s Elliot Anderson remains the most effective option to start in one of the two deeper midfield roles, scoring 73% so far this season, with his 10 completed passes into the final third and 4.67 possessions won in the middle third per 90 proving just how well-balanced he is. James Garner starts alongside Anderson in one of the biggest shocks on this side, but the former Man Utd man has been superb for Everton this season, making 2.17 tackles per 90 and notching a goal and an assist to run up a score of 70%.
Liverpool‘s Curtis Jones is the highest-scoring back-up player to the starting two on 67%, while Declan Rice is next on 62%, though the Arsenal man will, of course, be the actual starter when these matches roll around. Yet another Crystal Palace man makes it into the squad in the form of Adam Wharton, whose score of 58% is fuelled largely by his 1.48 successful dribbles per 90 at a 100% success rate — both the highest of any midfielder mentioned here and a great example of just how composed and press-resistant he is.
The No.10 scores are still quite low at this early point in the season, and there are some big names still lacking minutes, not least Jude Bellingham, who is still building fitness with Real Madrid. Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall leads the pack on 58% having averaged 7.0 penalty area entries and 1.33 crosses completed per 90 minutes, while also bagging a goal and an assist. Backing him up is Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze, who has scored 53% but is now very much growing into things at the Emirates with two assists in his last three Premier League appearances, as well as a goal against Port Vale in the EFL Cup.
Attackers
Squawka Score selection: Harry Kane, Jarrod Bowen, Danny Welbeck, Bukayo Saka, Jacob Murphy, Jaidon Anthony, Jack Grealish
Bukayo Saka has returned to fitness for Arsenal, but despite not truly finding his feet again just yet, he remains England’s highest-scoring right winger on 53%. His 2.44 crosses completed per 90 stand out, helping Arsenal remain a dominant set-piece force. Backing him up is Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy (49%), who has been a bit of a utility man this season for Eddie Howe, but has enjoyed his best moments when playing on the right, including registering an assist for Nick Woltemade’s winner against Wolves.
The outlook is much better on the left, with Jaidon Anthony enjoying a wonderful season so far with Burnley. The 25-year-old is uncapped at any level for England, but is doing his chances no harm with four goals and an assist in six Premier League appearances, including scoring in each of his last two outings. Only Erling Haaland (8) has scored more goals than Anthony, who has consequently managed an impressive Squawka Score of 64%. Backing him up is Jack Grealish, who has looked revitalised on loan at Everton with four assists in six league outings and 14 chances created — both league-highs — to score 58%.
There are zero surprises as far as England’s starting striker is concerned, with Harry Kane sitting on a quite ridiculous 10 goals and three assists in just five Bundesliga appearances so far this season. There’s no further explanation needed for his 87% Squawka Score — the highest in this squad. Backing up England’s record goalscorer are Jarrod Bowen and Danny Welbeck on 66% and 63%, respectively. The former has stepped up brilliantly as a centre-forward when required for West Ham this season and has three Premier League goals to his name, while the latter has continued his renaissance from last season and has scored twice for Brighton.