Bowen's Hot Streak Puts Saka Under Real Pressure in England's Right-Wing Battle

Thomas Tuchel has made one thing crystal clear since taking the England job: talent alone won't cut it. Jude Bellingham learned that the hard way, spending time out of the squad despite his pedigree at Real Madrid, and now Bukayo Saka is receiving similar treatment from the German boss.

The Arsenal winger has been a cornerstone of England's setup at the last two major tournaments—starting every match at Euro 2024 and all but one group game at the 2022 World Cup. Yet this season has been his worst as a professional, and Tuchel isn't about to let him coast on reputation.

Following England's 3-0 friendly demolition of Wales in October, where Saka netted a fine goal, Tuchel turned up the heat. "How many goals did he score for England? 13? One-three?" he asked, feigning bewilderment. "This has to be more. It's not enough. He needs to keep on going. I thought it's 30 at least! And then I would have said 'well it's not enough' because I'm never, never satisfied."

The message was unmistakable. Saka had "stepped up" in his second appearance under Tuchel, but as the manager stressed: "He will fight for his place. This is what we demand from him."

Saka has responded with an assist against Latvia and a goal against Serbia, but competition is breathing down his neck. Noni Madueke impressed in Saka's absence, while Jarrod Bowen emerged from the 2-0 Albania win with genuine credit to his name. Ian Wright was among those impressed, describing Bowen as "someone who's right up for it."

That assessment gained serious weight on Monday. After Bowen opened the scoring against Brentford for West Ham to level with Saka at nine goals for the season, Ally McCoist delivered the verdict: "He's got to be a serious contender to start for England."

A claim that would have been laughed off not long ago is now being taken seriously.

Fifteen minutes later, following an own goal that drew things level, Bowen converted a penalty to move ahead of Saka in the goal-scoring stakes. The numbers tell a curious story: a winger at a title-chasing side should be significantly outperforming his counterpart at a relegation-threatened club, yet Saka's seven assists to Bowen's six means the gap in overall goal contributions is negligible. Both are operating at similar levels despite vastly different circumstances.

Morgan Rogers has claimed the No.10 shirt under Tuchel following Bellingham's injury struggles, but the right-wing berth remains contested. Bowen has now delivered four goals and four assists across his last eight West Ham appearances—dragging the Hammers towards safety and into an FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds.

England face Croatia on June 17 in Dallas, and while Saka's experience in the big moments should count for plenty, Bowen has made himself impossible to ignore. Tuchel's message to his established stars is unambiguous: past glories mean nothing if you're not delivering now.