Six England players who urgently need January transfers to save World Cup dreams

Just one international break remains before the January transfer window – the last chance for players to secure a move at club level before the World Cup next summer.

After October wins over Wales and Latvia, Thomas Tuchel will pick his next England squad in November. By that stage, any players being left out may have to start considering their future if they want to give themselves the best chance of going to North America for the 2026 World Cup.

In fact, some players on the fringes of Tuchel’s thinking may already have seeds of doubt over whether they’re at the right club to put themselves in contention for international duty on the biggest stage.

So who could be seeking a January move away from their current club to boost their chances of making it into England’s World Cup squad?

Kobbie Mainoo

• Current club: Manchester United
• England caps: 10
• Last England cap: September 2024

Mainoo was already seeking a move in the summer after suffering from a decline in opportunities since Manchester United replaced Erik ten Hag with Ruben Amorim in the dugout.

It was evident enough from his virtual disappearance from the England scene; Mainoo’s last cap for his country was in September 2024, two months before Amorim became his coach at club level.

Just a few months earlier, the Man Utd academy graduate had been a regular starter for England at Euro 2024, including in the final. Now, whether he even makes it to the next major tournament is in doubt.

“Sometimes you can feel the pressure and changes in the club are not in your favour and he’s lacking the minutes,” Tuchel said in August after overlooking Mainoo for the September international break.

“I don’t think he lacks anything else. He has the experience, the power, the quality, the talent to be on our list.

“He is on our list of players but at the moment, on his position six, eight, 10 position we have players who are in full rhythm and who play key parts in their clubs, and this is the next step for him.”

Still only 20 (he’ll be 21 by the time of the World Cup), Mainoo has the kind of long-term potential to suggest he has an England future. But if he continues to occupy predominantly a bench role for United, he may struggle to be part of England’s present when the World Cup rolls around.

Sources have explained that United – who denied his request to leave on loan in the summer – are likely to block Mainoo from leaving again in January. But that would only harm his international chances in 2026.

If he was able to escape Old Trafford, even on a temporary basis, he could show why he should be back on Tuchel’s radar by getting the one thing the Three Lions manager observes he is lacking.

James Trafford

• Current club: Manchester City
• England caps: 0
• Last England cap: N/A

While Trafford remains uncapped at senior level by England, he was called up to the senior squad for the first time back in March 2024 and was included in Tuchel’s squad for the October 2025 international break, without making his debut.

It was only this summer that Trafford made his most recent move at club level, returning to Manchester City from Burnley after a two-year spell at Turf Moor. However, events since have led to calls for him to move again in January.

After all, City went on to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma later in the transfer window, one of the best goalkeepers in the world who’ll be hoping to star for Italy if they break their streak of not qualifying for two consecutive World Cups.

Trafford faces an uphill battle to get regular gametime for City. While he won’t be expecting to go to the World Cup as someone to play more often than Jordan Pickford, he risks slipping out of contention for one of the backup roles in the squad.

After signing a five-year contract to return to City, Trafford won’t necessarily want to give up on his hopes of representing them in the long term, but Donnarumma is going to be a significant obstacle.

Therefore, it might be in Trafford’s best interests to pursue a loan move in January to keep on his toes in case he is called up to serve his country.

Ivan Toney

• Current club: Al-Ahli
• England caps: 7
• Last England cap: June 2025

With a few notable exceptions, moving to Saudi Arabia is often seen as a counter-intuitive move for players wanting to preserve their international importance.

However, Toney was called up by Tuchel in June after his 30-goal debut season with Al-Ahli. He only received two minutes off the bench against Senegal, though, and hasn’t been summoned again by England since.

Toney will turn 30 in March, so realistically, this looks like his last chance to go to a World Cup. He was a member of Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024, but might want to make himself more visible to Tuchel to be one of the strikers taken to North America in the summer.

After all, Toney has still scored eight goals from 10 games for Al-Ahli this season. It doesn’t seem like goalscoring ratios are the reason he’s been overlooked recently.

The former Newcastle United and Brentford striker has recently been linked with a return to the Premier League. If he could maintain his form back on home soil, it could increase his appeal to Tuchel.

After Toney was left out of the England squad for September, with a lack of natural alternatives at centre-forward, there was criticism of Tuchel’s thinking.

“He’s probably going to go to the tournament with two [strikers], Harry [Kane] and Ollie Watkins, potentially three with [Liam] Delap at best,” Troy Deeney told talkSPORT.

“And if any problems happen, he’s just going to rotate any of those guys up front and then if we lose, guess what, the excuse is already built in, we didn’t have enough strikers.”

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Conor Gallagher

• Current club: Atletico Madrid
• England caps: 22
• Last England cap: June 2025

In contrast to Toney, Gallagher’s move abroad shouldn’t have reduced his international status. Last summer, he left Chelsea and joined another big club in the shape of Atletico Madrid, competing in the Champions League and LaLiga.

However, he wasn’t in Tuchel’s squads for the September or October international breaks, which can largely be attributed to a drop in his gametime given by Diego Simeone.

Last season, Gallagher started half of Atleti’s league games. Along the way, he was drafted into the England squad for September, October and November international breaks (albeit without playing in the former). In the summer, he featured in the friendly against Senegal.

This season, Gallagher has only started two of Atleti’s eight league games, coming on as a sub in the other six. It has led to speculation over his future, with some even pointing to his struggles with the Spanish language as a reason why the charm of his new challenge is starting to wear off.

Gallagher never really pushed to leave Chelsea, but Atleti became his best option. Come January, his best option might be to return to the Premier League, where he still has suitors.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have both been tentatively linked with the 25-year-old in recent weeks.

Myles Lewis-Skelly

• Current club: Arsenal
• England caps: 6
• Last England cap: October 2025

Despite only debuting earlier this year, Arsenal prospect Lewis-Skelly is one of England’s main options for the left-back position – but he came in for criticism against Latvia.

For Arsenal, he is yet to start a Premier League game this season, with Riccardo Calafiori preferred at left-back. There’s equally competition for places in the midfield territory he can also operate in.

Having signed a long-term contract extension in June, Lewis-Skelly should have a place in their future plans. But would a loan move be beyond the question for the 19-year-old?

If his starting opportunities continue to be limited in the short term, Lewis-Skelly could be a candidate for a temporary move away from Arsenal, which would likely have several sides of a decent level queuing up.

Addressing his lack of gametime, Tuchel said earlier this month: “Maybe it becomes a problem for him, yeah. To just be a good citizen in camp will not be enough over the course of a year.

“He was a very good player in camp, a very good team-mate in camp (last month). But being a good team-mate in camp may not be good enough to stay the whole year with us.

“You have to perform at club level on a regular basis. In the last camp he got the credit, that I was convinced we have to take care of him and nominate him because we accelerated his career. It was our responsibility after we called him last season. So we stick to this.”

Curtis Jones

• Current club: Liverpool
• England caps: 6
• Last England cap: June 2025

Jones was given his England debut during Lee Carsley’s interim reign in November 2024, by which point Tuchel was already confirmed as the manager who’d be taking the reins.

Still a one-club man after emerging from the Liverpool academy, Jones is closing in on 200 appearances for the Reds.

He has earned his place as a valuable member of Liverpool’s rotation options under the guidance of either Jurgen Klopp or Arne Slot, but there have also been regular questions throughout his time in the first team of if he’d be better served taking on a more prominent role elsewhere.

There have recently been claims of a new contract being in the pipeline for the 24-year-old, so his future could well remain on Merseyside.

However, he has only started one of Liverpool’s first seven games this season. After missing the September international break with an injury, he wasn’t recalled for England’s October fixtures.

There’s no guarantee leaving Liverpool would boost Jones’ profile – looking at how fellow attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott has struggled to break in since leaving for Aston Villa – but Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai are currently in his way for the no.10 role in Slot’s 4-2-3-1 formation.

Even though Wirtz is struggling to get going, Liverpool will understandably prioritise giving chances to their £116m signing, which in turn could limit Jones’ opportunities to remind Tuchel what he can do ahead of what could be his first senior international tournament.

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