Bukayo Saka and Arsenal told Thomas Tuchel World Cup truth England boss probably already knew

There were many takeaways from , one of them being confirmation of something Thomas Tuchel probably already knew. There is no club likely to be more important than Arsenal when it comes to providing players capable of helping England win the World Cup in the summer of 2026.

And no player will be more important than Bukayo Saka. Quite rightly, there was plenty of praise for Saka’s performance against the Champions League holders at the Emirates but, understandably, .

And in a way, that has often seemed to be the case during six years of brilliance that have been suitably acknowledged but never over-stated. A humble young man, Saka would like it this way but there is an argument to suggest the 23-year-old has never quite been given the widespread acclaim his talent deserves.

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Saka’s numbers are phenomenal, his excellence underpinned by a durability that was inevitably interrupted by injury this season. Considering the amount of work he had got through in the first few years of his professional life, the break prompted by the hamstring injury was probably a blessing in disguise.

Saka has 53 goals and 47 assists in 188 Premier League appearances. In 15 Champions League appearances, he has eight goals and six assists. He has five goals and nine assists in 25 Europa League appearances. But it is not just the numbers that mark him down as special.

It is the uncertainty he causes in opposition ranks, it is the tireless approach he has towards his occasional defensive duties. And he goes about his business in such an unaffected manner, always looking every inch the team player.

That applies for country as well as club. It almost went under the radar that he was voted England’s Player of the Year for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns.

Even though he only made four appearances at Euro 2020 in 2021, he has been one of England’s most creative attacking performers in the past three major tournaments and while much has been made of the attacking combinations available to Tuchel, Saka should be a shoo-in for the strongest starting line-up. And the same, of course, applies to Rice. Tuchel will also have had his eyes opened to Rice’s dead-ball prowess.

After only two international appearances, Myles Lewis-Skelly is not yet a shoo-in but his performance against Real Madrid was yet another pointer towards him quickly being established as an England starter. There is every chance Tuchel will welcome Ben White back into the fold at some stage and 18-year-old Ethan Nwaneri must have been close to a senior call-up last month.

His performance and stunning goal for the under-21s suggests that senior call-up will happen next time around. There is an old line about West Ham winning the World Cup in 1966. Let’s hope we can say the same about Arsenal next year.

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