Thomas Tuchel reveals if he will call up Ben White after England job
October 17, 2024
Since taking over as manager of England, Thomas Tuchel has had his first press conference. There are several stories and a lot of mystery around the German’s appointment, but one from Arsenal’s point of view may be more notable than others.
Since the 2022 World Cup, Ben White’s relationship with the national team has been strained. He hasn’t been called up to a squad since the previous World Cup and hasn’t played a game since March of that year.
After telling the media that sporting director Edu had stated that White was not available for selection, Gareth Southgate insisted that the door was still open. According to The Athletic, there was an altercation between Steve Holland and White over a remark, but it was reportedly resolved later.
In actuality, White’s stance remains unchanged despite the unknowns. In response to White’s predicament, the interim coach, Lee Carsley, clarified that he had not been informed of any shift in position.
“As far as I’m aware, he wasn’t available for selection, and nothing has changed in my two weeks of being here,” Carsley said.
“That is where I am at. I have seen in some of the press reports he was open to it but it has gone no further. As far as I’m aware, there has been no change there.”
Carsley will remain in charge for the November international break, and Tuchel’s first games will be in March of next year. Thomas Tuchel was not questioned about his choice on White during the live portion of the press conference. However, Tuchel did interact with White during his tenure as Bayern Munich’s head coach last season.
He mentioned the Gunners’ qualities to the full-back when he was questioned about them prior to their encounter. The coach gave Arsenal‘s right-hand side a lot of praise.
“With Saka and Odegaard, they always attack on the right, at least the beginning of many attacks, which sometimes end up on the left,” Tuchel said before the game.
“But Arsenal try to shift the game to the right side first, to create an overlap there with Odegaard and often via the right-back, Ben White, to either get through there or to play a quick switch with runners in the left half-space or the left wing.”