Early this morning, Thomas Tuchel announced his first England squad, and Tottenham Hotspur fans could see the list of who from their team had been called up.
Unfortunately, that list had just a single name: Dominic Solanke.
Now, the former Bournemouth striker’s inclusion is exciting and entirely deserved – especially following his two assists last night – but several others in Ange Postecoglou’s squad deserved a call-up.
One of those is Djed Spence, who’s been spectacular this season, but one of his more valuable teammates can feel just as aggrieved.
Why Spence should have been called up
Truth be told, there are plenty of English stars who will feel as if they should have been included in Tuchel’s initial squad today, but Spence even more so.
The former Middlesbrough star may have been on the outside looking in at the start of the campaign, but since December, he’s been an integral part of Postecoglou’s first team.
Capable of sitting back and defending like an old-school full-back or marauding forward, beating his opposite number and firing in a dangerous cross for his teammates, the 24-year-old really can do it all.
Moreover, while the right-back spot is traditionally an area of the Three Lions squad stacked with talent, the inclusion of Kyle Walker, who couldn’t cope with the pace of the Premier League just a few months ago, suggests space could have been made for the Spurs star.
On top of that, the other side of the defence has often been viewed as one of the team’s weak spots, and that is where the “swashbuckling” dynamo, as dubbed by Ian Wright, has spent most of the campaign.
In short, Spence, whom Football Transfers still value at just €11.2m – about £9m – can feel somewhat slighted by Tuchel’s decision, as can one of his far more valuable teammates.
The Spurs star worth millions more than Spence
While the likes of Mikey Moore and Archie Gray are both tremendously exciting youngsters who could play a big part in any future England teams, the other Tottenham star who should have made it into Tuchel’s squad is James Maddison.
The former Leicester City star, whom Football Transfers still value at just €58.8m, which is about £49m, or £40m more than Spence, could have added some serious creativity and dynamism to the squad.
For example, just last night, he was running the show in a must-win Europa League game, in which he scored a crucial goal and earned a 9/10 match rating from respected journalist Alasdair Gold.
|
Maddison’s 24/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
37 |
|
Minutes |
2217′ |
|
Goals |
11 |
|
Assists |
7 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.48 |
|
Minutes per Goal Involvement |
123.16′ |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
|
On top of that, while the 28-year-old has received plenty of criticism for occasionally disappearing in games, his output for this season is actually quite impressive.
For example, in 37 appearances, totalling 2217 minutes, the “incredible” midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists.
That means the Coventry-born “magician,” as dubbed by Statman Dave, is averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 123.16 minutes for a team languishing in the second half of the Premier League table.
Ultimately, while it’s been a poor season overall for Spurs, Spence and Maddison have both played well enough, especially of late, to make it into Tuchel’s first England squad, and the fact the latter is worth so much only further indicates his immense talent.
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