Thomas Tuchel addresses 'suspicious' move from Premier League club as 10 stars leave international camps

Ed Griffiths
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 09:04:41 +0000

Thomas Tuchel has conceded the wave of Arsenal players withdrawing from international duty appears "suspicious", though he maintains that Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were genuinely keen to represent England against Japan.

The England manager assembled an expanded 35-man squad for his final gathering before announcing his World Cup selection, with established players including Rice and Saka joining on Friday.

Both departed the camp the following day, along with teammate Noni Madueke, who had picked up an injury during the 1-1 draw with Uruguay.

In total, 10 players from the Premier League leaders have withdrawn from their respective national teams, fuelling speculation that club interests are being prioritised over international commitments.

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Tuchel has dismissed suggestions that club matters are taking precedence over country, insisting the injured pair were desperate to feature for the national team.

However, the England boss has raised concerns about player fatigue posing a genuine threat to the nation's World Cup ambitions.

He revealed that Rice has been performing at just "70 per cent" capacity during his recent appearances for the Gunners, highlighting the physical toll on key players.

Despite acknowledging how the situation might appear from the outside, Tuchel stressed that the withdrawals reflect legitimate fitness issues rather than any coordinated effort between Arsenal and their players.

Ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Japan, Tuchel said: “They joined, had a medical assessment, wanted desperately to play, to just get the narrative straight. Wanted desperately to be involved.

"But it made just no sense to take this risk. If it would have been maybe a last game of the season, we would have kept them and tried everything. But in this moment of the season, it did not make sense.

"The risk for making it worse was just way too big.”

Tuchel said England were aware of the pair’s "issues" after Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final.

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He added: "I understand the look of it.

"I still have 100 per cent trust in the honesty of Bukayo and Declan. We did medical tests. I saw them.

"I have no reason to believe that Declan is not honest with me. I have no reason to believe Bukayo is not honest.

"But given the amount of Arsenal players, I understand the look."

Rice had a session with Jude Bellingham on the pitch but complained of discomfort, while Saka did two sessions in the gym in a bid to prove his fitness.

He said: "They both came. Declan was even out on the pitch. He did not come and say ‘guys, I’m going home’.

"I heard there were camps (in the past) where players did not even show up with boots and stuff. Then it becomes, OK…but they both came."

While Rice, Saka and Madueke have had to leave a camp that Eberechi Eze was unable to link up with in the first place, Arsenal will still have a player involved against Japan.

The Japan fixture represents England's final home engagement before the World Cup, which commences on June 11 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Tuchel's squad will reconvene in June for friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica before travelling to America.

England open their tournament campaign against Croatia on 17 June, followed by group stage encounters with Ghana and Panama.

The deadline for submitting World Cup squads falls on 30 May.