Thomas Tuchel gives England stars green light to complete blockbuster transfers
Thomas Tuchel insists he will not block any England players from completing transfer deals while on World Cup duty.Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is at the centre of a big-money tug-of-war between Manchester City and Manchester United.Morgan Rogers is also a transfer target as Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United fancy the Aston Villa forward and John Stones is a free agent. There are certain to be transfer talks but Tuchel says he will not block them holding talks just as long as it does not happen on the day of a game.England boss Tuchel said: “There has to be common sense I would say, I would not like it on a -1 and a matchday. That's the policy. And everything else, if it is quietly done, privately done, done efficiently, we are always happy to help to have clarity around the player.“I think the best we can have is clarity. If anyone has the chance to complete a change of club and a transfer, we will not stand in the way but it has to align of course with our schedule and our goals which is to be focused and prepare for matches.“The last day before the match for sure and the second day before a match, not. Let's see. We take it case by case. Until now, no player approached me. The doctor is ready to take any medical if needed. It would be ideal if their futures were sorted before the World Cup but that's maybe not real life. So, the question would be: how much to worry? If it would be possible to say 'you don't deal with that now', the telephone would still blow up.“How are we going to control that? So it is more the other way around. I am always there to help, I am always there to calm things down. We should more help them to have their own environment where they can handle the distraction, they can dive in, they can concentrate, they can do the most to fulfil their role that we have for them.“Because I can see of course the distraction is clubs are fighting for you, want to sign you and sporting directors, agents and coaches are trying to get you on the phone, of course it is a distraction but it is just also reality.Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!“We will always recommend the player to take a decision before a tournament starts, as early as possible and then go with the decision, but it is not always possible for the player. I think we are not alone in this, it is how this thing plays.”Tuchel revealed he was “not so happy” that England were used in a FIFA directive to referees ahead of the World Cup. FIFA refs chief Pierliugi Collina used an example - Adam Wharton blocking at a corner in England’s friendly with Uruguay in March when Ben White scored - of what should be disallowed.Now the refs are on red last over penalty box grappling and Tuchel fears it could leave England singled out.Tuchel added: “We were not so happy that it was one goal and by chance our goal [used as example]. There are a lot of changes of rules and I am happy that we have another meeting I think next week. I had already one meeting, I'm not sure I understood everything correctly.“It was quite a lot and I am just a little bit worried it is quite a lot still in a subjective manner for the referee to decide. I fear for the referees to have a lot of additional decisions to make on the pitch and I'm not sure all of them give us more clarity. I can see the urge to have more clarity. I'm not sure that rule changes so shortly before a tournament encourage that but let's see.“We will of course play according to the rules. We are aware in the Premier League, the corners and set-pieces are more physical than in other countries. But that's a normal thing. In Europa League, Champions League, the refereeing is a bit different and then you adapt.“The rule that you say was about blocking before the ball was in play? Let's see. That's a strength of us and we will of course try to make the best of it. Why wouldn't we? It is just a way to do it. Every team will try to do it.“Hopefully we find a consistent way to referee it. I think this is what everyone wants: just consistency, It is difficult enough for everyone with new rules. Hopefully we get more clarity but it is not always the case if they are implemented on such short notice but I'm happy we have next week our meeting and we will get our head around it.”Meanwhile. Tuchel also said he wanted to offer a “big thank you” to fans who were travelling despite the sky-high prices. He added: “A big thank you, just a big thank you. We realise the prices are very, very high and it’s very expensive so if someone makes the effort and I know of people who make the effort and I’ve tried to help people with tickets.“But I want to say a big, big thank you because it makes a difference that you have fans within the stadium who make all the effort to do that but we also understand that if it’s simply too much then they should support us from home in the pubs and whatever because it counts and we will feel it.”Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us - and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass 'designed for football'This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreSky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that's 'designed for football' from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.
