England Squad Reshuffle: United Players Rise as Arsenal Fall Away in Fresh Pecking Order

What better occasion to dust off the England Ladder than the moment the January transfer window slams shut? Quite honestly, there isn't one.

We'll be candid about the timing here. This isn't an exact science at the best of moments, but it's particularly murky now. The real trick is deciphering what the manager actually fancies rather than what we reckon, and without recent squad selections to guide us, we're flying somewhat blind. Still, plenty has shifted for numerous players since November, so here's our best stab at where things stand.

The Untouchables

Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Jordan Pickford can sleep soundly. Unless catastrophe strikes, they're locked in.

The Movers

Reece James jumps from eighth to fourth—a significant leap, but it makes sense. His stock has risen purely through availability. He's played more Premier League football this season than he has since 2021-22, and his minutes tally far exceeds the previous two campaigns combined. England's right-back problem gets solved when James is fit and playing.

Bukayo Saka holds at fifth despite recent wobbles. Tuchel won't be looking elsewhere on the right flank of attack come summer, sketchy form or otherwise.

Elliot Anderson has claimed a starting berth with remarkable authority across just six caps. He's featured in every Premier League minute this season, and whilst Conor Gallagher and Kobbie Mainoo are knocking on the door, they're competing for squad depth behind him. His distribution work is exceptional.

Marc Guehi climbs from tenth to seventh, now ahead of John Stones in the pecking order for both club and country. Ezri Konsa follows at eighth—a Guehi-Konsa partnership looks increasingly likely for England's defensive core, whether at the next international break or come summer.

Jude Bellingham slips to ninth. Brace yourselves for an avalanche of commentary about his attitude, his family, and his refusal to play media games come March—the sort of coverage that makes you want to scream into the void. His underwhelming season isn't helping matters.

The Left-Wing Puzzle

Anthony Gordon remains Tuchel's go-to on the left at ninth, though he hasn't set the Premier League alight. His Champions League form provides some compensation.

Marcus Rashford holds steady at sixteenth. His Barcelona stint has earned him a respectable verdict, and the left-wing starting spot increasingly looks like a straight fight between him and Gordon, with both almost certain on the plane.

The Midfield Scramble

Nico O'Reilly gets the nod at left-back, still playing regularly for Manchester City despite recent midfield deployment. It's the trickiest position to pin down—Tuchel's tried most options—but O'Reilly remains the man in possession.

Morgan Rogers stays at twelfth despite Cole Palmer's return to fitness. Palmer himself rockets from twenty-second to seventeenth. He's playing regularly now, and his big-game pedigree—a Euros final goal, a Club World Cup final appearance—makes him an essential squad member. You'd rather have him on the bench than not.

Cole Palmer's resurgence is worth dwelling on. When we ranked him in November, he'd barely kicked a ball. Now he's back in action and surely unmissable for a 26-man squad.

The Injury Concerns

John Stones plummets from fourth to fifteenth. He looked certain for the XI after November, but injury has kept him sidelined. Tuchel will desperately want to pick him, yet other experienced operators are getting far more minutes.

Tino Livramento sits at twenty-third, but his position is genuinely dire. A hamstring injury on 14 January rules him out for two months. The next international break starts 23 March. He'd almost certainly make the squad if fit, yet lacks sufficient credit to skip the proving process. It's a race against time, and if he's back playing before the break, Tuchel will likely favour him over Djed Spence or Luke Shaw.

Ollie Watkins' injury timing is particularly cruel at twentieth. He's handed opportunities to Tammy Abraham at club level that could ripple into international considerations, while also opening doors for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Solanke, and Ivan Toney.

The Resurgent United Contingent

Harry Maguire climbs to twenty-seventh. Michael Carrick's arrival at Manchester United has already reshaped the club, and Maguire is playing regularly again. He knows his way around a summer tournament better than almost anyone in the squad, and with Stones uncertain and no one beyond Guehi and Konsa having locked down a centre-back spot, why not him? Tuchel values battle-hardened leadership, and a relatively inexperienced defensive group could benefit from his nous.

Luke Shaw enters at thirtieth. Left-back remains gloriously chaotic, and Shaw's now playing there again following United's liberation from Ruben Amorim's back-three experiment. There's genuine irony in the fact that Shaw and James have managed 47 of a possible 48 Premier League appearances between them this season—England's injury-resistant full-backs have become their most reliable options.

Kobbie Mainoo jumps to twenty-fifth. He's back in the United team and firmly back in contention. Five midfield squad places likely exist: Rice and Anderson are certainties, Henderson is earmarked as key lieutenant, leaving two spots for Mainoo, Adam Wharton, Conor Gallagher and others. His Euros performance counts for plenty with Tuchel, who we suspect has been waiting for exactly this kind of extended United run.

The Sliding Doors Moments

Phil Foden remains at twenty-first. Typical Foden-England timing: he scored six goals in four Premier League games immediately after the last international break, then hasn't scored in his last eight as the next one approaches.

Eberechi Eze drops to twenty-ninth. A hat-trick against Spurs post-international break was excellent, but he hasn't registered a goal or assist since. Without England pedigree to fall back on, peripheral club form is dangerous.

Noni Madueke tumbles to twenty-eighth. He's always impressed when Tuchel calls him up, and the manager clearly values that. But current form makes it genuinely difficult to justify him over someone like Jarrod Bowen, whose own resurgence mirrors West Ham's revival.

Bowen climbs to twenty-sixth. With Madueke struggling for minutes and Saka's understudy role potentially up for grabs, Bowen's improved form makes him increasingly relevant.

The Wildcards and Fringe Players

Dean Henderson holds at thirteenth. Staying fit keeps him in the squad; he'll never displace Pickford, and he won't lose his place either.

Jordan Henderson—the midfielder—remains at fourteenth. He's drifted in and out of the Brentford side recently, but that's irrelevant. Tuchel values him as a conduit between players and coaches, a wise head on fresh legs for closing minutes. He doesn't need to start every week to remain sharp.

James Trafford sits at twenty-fourth. Nick Pope might be the logical choice, but Tuchel will stick with what he knows here.

Dominic Solanke enters at thirty-second. Four goals in four games since returning from injury, including a ridiculous scorpion kick against Manchester City in front of the watching England manager. He's not Kane, but he's probably England's closest stylistic match as backup striker. Whether Tuchel wants a point of difference or an inferior facsimile remains the question.

Conor Gallagher rises to thirty-fifth. Being back in the Premier League after his loan means he'll get more coverage, and his all-action display against City at Tottenham in front of Tuchel did him no harm. He's a Chelsea player Tuchel knows, though his sole appearance under the current regime came in That Game against Senegal.

Trent Alexander-Arnold plummets to thirty-sixth. He couldn't secure the right-back spot when he was Liverpool's standout player and James was perpetually injured. He certainly won't do so while struggling for Real Madrid minutes and James is perpetually available. He hasn't featured in an England squad since last summer, and without existing squad membership, his Madrid struggles become disqualifying rather than overlooked.

The Fringe and Beyond

Djed Spence drops to thirty-first. He did nothing wrong when called upon in October but was usurped by O'Reilly in November. Now injured like most Spurs players, he probably needs to play himself back into the 26.

Jarrad Branthwaite sits at forty-eighth. Nick Pope holds at thirty-third—a badly timed injury cost him in November, but Tuchel probably won't overthink third-choice keeper selection this close to a tournament.

Jarell Quansah remains at thirty-fourth. He played right-back in England's last qualifier, and back-up right-back looks like it could be available for versatile, utility types—whether full-backs who can play either flank or centre-backs who can shuffle across.

Morgan Gibbs-White stays at thirty-seventh. The No. 10 logjam—Bellingham, Rogers, Palmer, potentially Foden or Eze—is simply too congested.

Jack Grealish drops to thirty-eighth. He needed to pull up trees at Everton. One goal, two assists, one foot injury and one mysterious Christmas illness since the last international break doesn't quite cut it.

Trevoh Chalobah holds at thirty-ninth. Still hasn't played since That Senegal Game, but was in the last squad and remains automatic for Chelsea. His problem is competing with enormously experienced big-tournament players for centre-back spots, and Tuchel clearly values that tournament know-how.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin enters at fortieth. Seven Premier League goals in six games between late November and late December would have made him a shoo-in for a January international break—if such a thing existed. Now he's scored once in six, and timing remains everything. Watkins' injury does leave a door ajar though.

The Periphery

Adam Wharton remains at twenty-second. He's Adam Wharton, and we love that for him—but Tuchel might not. He offers tantalising difference, yet with Rice and Anderson locked in, Henderson as lieutenant, and both Gallagher and Mainoo visibly back on the scene, midfield places are being fought over. He still has the edge for now.

Kyle Walker sits at forty-ninth. Phil Neville—inexplicably—remains at fiftieth.

Lewis Hall enters at nineteenth following his return from injury. He was too late for the last international break, but he's been quietly consistent for Newcastle since November. That consistency and his ability to actually get on the pitch at left-back could be enough to claim one of the left-back spots.

Rico Lewis, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Curtis Jones, Alex Scott and Ruben Loftus-Cheek complete the lower reaches, filling positions forty-one through forty-six respectively.

Mason Mount returns to the rankings at forty-seventh after missing the November edition entirely.