Crystal Palace talisman Ebere Eze or Tottenham Hotspur playmaker James Maddison? The wild card that is Cole Palmer or the more internationally proven Jarrod Bowen? The exuberance of Kobbie Mainoo or the experience of Jordan Henderson?
These are just three of the decisions Gareth Southgate will need to make when picking England’s squad for the upcoming European Championships. Then again, that’s why the Three Lions boss is paid the big books.
Arguably no team in the tournament can boast quite so much depth as England do – especially in the forward and attacking midfield positions – and the task falls upon Southgate to cut his options down to an enhanced-but-still limiting 26-man squad.
Julian Nagelsmann knew what he was signing up for too, the ink still drying on the new contract the Germany boss signed in the build up to this summer’s home Euros. Nagelsmann will stay on until after the 2026 World Cup now, and there was a distinctly ‘long-term’ feel about the squad he picked with June’s curtain-raiser against Scotland in Group A less than a month away.
Tottenham’s Timo Werner among Germany absentees
Nagelsmann’s squad contains four players without a single senior international cap, including Hoffenheim’s 21-year-old battering ram striker Maximilian Beier and Bayern Munich’s 20-year-old string-puller Aleksandr Pavlovic.
There was no place, however, for Leon Goretzka, Mats Hummels, Niklas Sule or Julian Brandt. Four veterans with over 230 caps between them.
Nagelsmann has also left out Bayern’s Serge Gnabry – the former Arsenal winger struggling for fitness and form at club level – while Tottenham loanee Timo Werner will also be restricted a watching brief despite some typically energetic performances since his January return to the Premier League.
RB Leipzig loanee facing uncertain Spurs future
Werner has 57 caps and 24 goals for Germany. His omission will not come as too much of a surprise, however, given that the former Chelsea speedster has not featured for his country since March 2023.
At least, with Germany chasing Euro glory without him, Werner can put his full focus on sorting out his future over the coming months. Ruled out of the final few games of Tottenham’s season through injury, Ange Postecoglou’s side are yet to trigger the £15 million release clause in his RB Leipzig contract with other widemen such as Antonio Nusa on their radar.
HITC were told in April that Tottenham would prefer to extend Werner’s loan until the end of 2024/25 rather than commit themselves to a permanent move.
“Timo, we signed until the end of the season on loan,” Postecoglou said a fortnight ago (ESPN). “And he’s part of that strategy to see what we need to do in the summer and can we do it.
“Are there going to be other gaps and where does Timo fit in with that strategy? We have a plan in place, and that was irrespective.
“I think he’s been very good for us. He came in at a really important time in January when Sonny (Son Heung-Min) was away (at the Asian Cup) , then Richy (Richarlison) got an injury.
“We were short in wide areas. Him coming in was very helpful for us and I think he’s made an impact. But, in my mind to make those definitive decisions, I still need some clarity about what we’ve got here first.”
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