Gareth Southgate played down concerns that his players could be distracted by transfer speculation ahead of tonight’s qualifier against North Macedonia — but a year out from the European Championship, the England manager is presiding over a squad in a state of flux.
A number of Southgate’s regulars, including captain Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Kyle Walker, James Maddison, Harry Maguire, Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount could change clubs this summer, while Jude Bellingham has already been unveiled as Real Madrid’s latest ‘Galactico’.
“There is much more [transfer] talk this time around than there has been in other years,” acknowledged Luke Shaw, who will be on home turf at Old Trafford this evening. “We read what is going on, we all talk, we’re all really close.”
In reality, the uncertainty is unlikely to have a detrimental impact on England’s chances tonight, with Southgate’s side expected to successfully follow up Friday’s 4-0 win in Malta and maintain their 100 per cent start to qualifying.
I would love a few of [my England team-mates] to join United, I am not going to lie.
The five Manchester City players are back in contention to start, while Southgate has said he “won’t hesitate” to continue with Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, after the Liverpool full-back’s standout display on Friday.
Long-term, however, the England manager will be mindful that key players changing clubs could create new dynamics in his squad. In the cases of Rice, who is expected to leave West Ham for Arsenal, and Bellingham — all but guaranteed to be two of England’s starting midfielders next summer — it is likely to be a positive. Both are set to take a significant step up for which they look well equipped, hopefully accelerating their development and benefiting the national team.
Maddison, too, is expected to leave relegated Leicester for either Tottenham or Newcastle, which is unlikely to hurt his international chances, particularly if he were to shine in the Champions League for the Magpies. If he leaves Chelsea, Gallagher will hope that regular first-team football will help him rediscover the goal-scoring form he showed on loan at Crystal Palace in 2021-22.
Transfers can also bring uncertainty, and Raheem Sterling, Kalvin Phillips and Jadon Sancho have all seen their England careers stall after big moves.
Maguire’s hopes of keeping his starting place for England surely depend on leaving Manchester United for first-team football, but it is not yet clear where he could end up, while Kane remains in a kind of limbo at Tottenham.
Walker is expected to leave City as part of a post-Treble refresh, with Bayern Munich leading the race for the 33-year-old’s signature, and Mount could swap boyhood club Chelsea for United after running down his contract.
Fortunately for Southgate, the days of club factions dividing the England dressing room appear over, while the Premier League’s financial clout means top players are increasingly likely to move between English clubs in future.
Southgate joked yesterday that his players are “tapping each other up on the quiet” shortly before Shaw more or less confirmed that was the case, having earlier teased fans on Instagram with a post of himself, Kane and Rice at United’s training ground, captioned ‘Carrington tour’.
“I would love a few of [my England team-mates] to join United, I am not going to lie,” the left-back said. “I am speaking to them, telling them how good Manchester is, because I know their qualities. I know they are world-class players and they would be a massive help to us, but I can only say so much. It is up to the club and whatever they decide, so we have to go from there. [The post was] half-joking. It is a bit of both. If it was down to me, I would take them in a heartbeat.”
For all the talk, which is frankly more animating than this month’s qualifiers, it will suit Southgate that so many of the squad could be on the move this summer, allowing them a year to settle in to new clubs ahead of the Euros. Kane and Mount, though, are among those who have 12 months remaining on their contracts and could move on a free transfer during the Euros summer, proving an unwelcome distraction around the tournament.
“There is only a small amount that you can actually control [when it comes to transfers],” Southgate advised yesterday. “I think all of those things will happen later on in the summer, and I think the players understand that. They know the focus for the next 36 hours is this game, finishing the season well.”
