Thomas Tuchel’s England qualified for the 2026 World Cup after beating Latvia on Tuesday night.
Goals from Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Eberechi Eze, and Latvia defender Maksims Tonisevs into his own net handed the Three Lions a comprehensive 5-0 victory in Riga, on what was yet another superb attacking display under the German.
Djed Spence was praised by Roy Keane before the Latvia match, and the full-back lived up to the former Manchester United man’s comments with a composed display.
Tottenham will take on Aston Villa on Sunday, but the full-back will likely be allowed to celebrate his second consecutive England start after a brilliant week for the 25-year-old.
Here, Tottenham News outlines the Spurs players in contention for next year’s England World Cup squad.
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Djed Spence
There is no guarantee of a World Cup call-up for Spence, but his recent performances are sure to have caught Tuchel‘s eye.
Against Wales, the defender was composed and resolute, holding off and dribbling out of everything that was thrown his way.
Spence fired a joke at Spurs teammate Brennan Johnson after the game, with the Wales international unable to beat the defender.
And against Latvia, the 25-year-old continued to impress, with the right-back providing the cross that led to England’s fourth goal.
A World Cup call-up is certainly not guaranteed. Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to return to the squad after recovering from injury, and the likes of Ben White and Reece James will be in and around.
But Spence has the advantage of being able to impress Tuchel within the England camp, and the full-back is surely doing that.
James Maddison
After suffering an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season, James Maddison does not have more than an outside chance of making the World Cup squad.
The midfielder is expected to be missing until the final months of the season, by which time Tuchel’s squad will be all but picked.
The likes of Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, and Cole Palmer stand in the way of Maddison, although the Englishman will retain a sliver of hope.
It is worth reminding ourselves just how good Maddison is on his day. As per FBref, he ranks in the top one percentile for players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.47).
He is also in the top one per cent for assists per 90 (0.33), albeit those figures over the past 12 months are skewed by how little he has played.
Situations can make anything possible in football, and should England experience several injuries within their midfield, and Maddison hit the ground running on his return, Tuchel may revisit the Tottenham man.
Dominic Solanke
There is a clear position available in the England squad for Dominic Solanke, should he take the initiative to grab it.
While Kane will be selected through the middle for most, if not all, of the Three Lions’ World Cup fixtures, there is few options after him.
Ollie Watkins would appear to be the obvious choice, but the striker has been in woeful form for Aston Villa this season so far, and his selection is by no means a guarantee.
Ivan Toney travelled to the Euros, but has fallen out of favour following his move to Saudi Arabia, and Liam Delap is injured.
Solanke, too, is injured, but the striker is expected to return before the end of the year and has a real chance to put himself into contention if he can muster up some strong form.
The 28-year-old has the ability – he scored 19 Premier League goals for Bournemouth during the 2023-24 season, and 16 across all competitions for Tottenham last season.
But now is the time to show it, and prove that his £64million price tag was indeed warranted.