He's slightly ahead - England boss settles Reece James Vs Alexander-Arnold debate

England coach Thomas Tuchel appears to have put to bed the ever-present debate of who the better player is between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James.

For years, comparisons between the Chelsea captain and the former Liverpool star have refused to go away but it appears Thomas Tuchel has settled the debate, having managed both players.

In the recently released Three Lions squad list for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, new Real Madrid signing Alexander-Arnold was omitted from the selection but Reece James made the cut and Tuchel has explained his decision.

Since taking over as England boss, Tuchel has overseen four matches, winning three and losing one, with both Alexander-Arnold and James in the team but with this recent development, the former Chelsea boss has stated that it's because one player is slightly ahead.

Tuchel categorically stressed that in the immediate, Reece James is slightly ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order, which explains why the Chelsea captain was picked but the Real Madrid man dropped.

He said: "I think Trent is a player who needs to feel trust and love from his manager and team-mates and from his club, his country, the fans."

"There were a lot of things going on when we called him up [for June]. We were all aware of it but maybe we underestimated it a little bit in the last camp because he was in the middle of his transfer, in the middle of preparing his [Real unveiling], which I think was one day after camp. And his preparation in fluent Spanish.

"He straight away goes with his new club, which is one of the biggest in the world, he goes to the Club World Cup. There was a lot going on."

For Tuchel, Reece James’s performances in the last two games in an England shirt and his heroics with Chelsea, leading the Blues to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup title tilts the balance in his favour. 

"Now, for me, it is the moment for him to settle and find his rhythm there. The competition is on to even be in the squad. Reece is, at the moment, slightly ahead in this position, given what he did for us in the last two camps and how he played the Club World Cup with Chelsea,” Tuchel emphasised. 

Tuchel also mentioned that he had to have a “difficult” conversation with Trent Alexander-Arnold about his omission from the England squad.

"I spoke to Trent. It was a difficult phone call, but I wanted that he hears it from me, which he appreciated. He was very clear that he’s desperate and keen to come back and play for England."

Thomas Tuchel’s side will face Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday, September 6 before making the trip to Belgrade to face Serbia who are unbeaten in the World Cup qualifiers.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)