Thomas Tuchel has held talks with Arsenal defender Ben White as the new England head coach prepares to name his first squad for World Cup qualifying.
As reported by Telegraph Sport, Tuchel has spent the first seven weeks of his England reign working to build up an overview of those he believes are among the country’s best players.
That has involved attending more than 20 live games in England, Spain, Italy and his home country of Germany, talking to players in person and on video calls – and it can now be revealed that has included White.
Despite being one of the country’s top defenders who can play at right-back or in the middle, White has not played for England since March 2022. He subsequently left the World Cup in Qatar that winter early and then asked not to be considered for international duty.
Tuchel confirmed, at the draw for the 2026 World Cup, that he would reach out to White and that has now happened, although the exact details of the conversation between the pair remain private.
Telegraph Sport revealed last year that White’s self-imposed England exile started with a comment from former manager Gareth Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland in front of team-mates at the World Cup in 2022.
Southgate eventually made it public that White had made himself unavailable for selection for England, but stressed it was unrelated to the player’s relationship with Holland by saying: “Also, I should say there’s never any issue with Steve Holland [and White], because that has sort of been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.”
White was not part of England’s squad for the European Championship last summer and it remains to be seen whether he has told Tuchel that he wishes to be considered for selection again now that Southgate and Holland are no longer in charge.
Tuchel’s first games in charge of England are the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia at Wembley on March 21 and 24, which means he is scheduled to name his first squad in around two weeks.
It is understood that Arsenal will continue to support White’s wishes, whether or not he has made himself available for England selection again.
Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison has revealed that he is also among the players Tuchel has spoken to in recent weeks.
Maddison was left out of England’s squad for the European Championship by Southgate, but is now hoping for a recall from Tuchel, who has compiled a list of the country’s best players which is estimated to run to around 50.
Asked whether Tuchel has been in touch, Maddison said: “Yeah, he has touched base. I think he was reaching out to a lot of players who would be under selection, probably quite a big pool of players that the FA have identified.
“I’m hungry to be part of that, I feel like I’m in good form, my numbers are pretty good. There’s not too many midfielders who can outscore and out-assist me, especially now when I’m feeling good as well, feeling sharp, I know I can affect most games.
“It’s just about continuing to do that and like I always say, if I play at that level for Tottenham, then the rest will take care of itself because I have a really strong self-belief.”
