Thomas Tuchel has welcomed Anthony Gordon's surprise move from Newcastle to Barcelona, seeing it as a boost to the competition for places in his England squad. The England manager was in playful mood after Saturday's 1-0 win over New Zealand in Tampa, even if he was not entirely satisfied with the performance. 'It is excellent,' Tuchel said of Gordon's transfer. 'It is such a nice trip for me to watch matches. I can only encourage people to go to nice places.'
Tuchel changed the entire XI for the second half, with Gordon replacing Marcus Rashford on the left wing. The situation between the two players is quirky: Rashford has just finished a good season on loan at Barcelona from Manchester United, with a €30m (£26m) option-to-buy clause that United insists is non-negotiable. Barcelona, however, have wanted to negotiate, and have now paid €70m plus €10m in add-ons for Gordon. 'It is a slight quirk,' Tuchel said, smiling. 'Let's see what Barcelona decides and what Marcus decides.'
The real benefit for Tuchel is the ratcheting up of competition between Gordon and Rashford, which aligns with his blueprint for World Cup glory: positional clarity. Tuchel wants players in their best roles, avoiding square pegs in round holes. Broadly, he aims for two players per outfield position, setting up one-on-one battles. One of the hardest calls before the opener against Croatia on 17 June is Gordon v Rashford.
Tuchel has gone above and beyond in supporting Rashford, recalling him from the international wilderness in March 2025 when he was on loan at Aston Villa and had started only once in the Premier League. 'There was no pressure to pick him,' Tuchel noted, but he did so to harness sparks of positivity and jumpstart their relationship. Rashford was in the mood against New Zealand, creating a game-high five chances, though his shooting was off. Gordon, by contrast, could get little going during his 45 minutes.
Tuchel's squad roles are well defined, with a group of players expected to 'finish matches for us, get the energy right and have more the role of setting the standards.' He identified '14 or 15 potential starters', including Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane. Jude Bellingham is also a nailed-on starter, battling with Morgan Rogers for the No 10 role. 'Yes, he is,' Tuchel said of Bellingham's battle. 'He is one of the [group of] starters … he knows that.'
