With the 2026 World Cup only months away there are many sports in the England’s team which are up for grabs, especially in the attacking end of the pitch. As a nation, England are blessed with several creative players but trying to fit them all in is the major issue for boss Thomas Tuchel. Apart from injuries it is a pretty safe to assume that Harry Kane will England’s no.9 at the major tournament. Bukayo Saka has claimed the right-wing position as his own with many high-end performances over the last few years but with his versatility he could be used in a variety of positions if needed. Jude Bellingham is the bookies favourites to be starting as the central attacking threat behind Kane, but with his current shoulder injury and lackluster start to the season it is no guarantee Tuchel will give England’s golden boy the number 10 shirt. Marcus Rashford has had a revival over in Spain which leaves him frontrunner for the left-wing position, but it is nowhere near a certified name on the team sheet. This leaves a few attacking spots left to be claimed as their own, with the potential of rotation across all three attacking positions.
In this piece I investigate four English attacker’s performances in the Premier League this season who will be knocking on the door to secure their spot, not just in the travelling squad but the starting 11 for that first game. Phil Foden had a poor season by his incredible standards last season which caused him to be axed by the last few squads, but his form this season has made everyone remember just how good he really can be. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, who won PFA Young Player of the Season last year, has really made a claim that he should be on the England team. After his move to Arsenal in the summer Eberechi Eze is now playing for a title challenging team with UCL football, does this give him the boost he’s needed to cement a place as England’s best? Lastly, I look into West Ham’s captain Jarrod Bowen who has been the Hammer’s best player for a few seasons now and is sometimes forgotten about when it comes to people naming England’s best XI.
Below are the four players stats so far in the Premier League.
What do England need?
The past few major tournaments England have always had a selection of creative players to choose from but no matter who plays they always seem to lack creativity in the big games. Harry Kane is one of the best strikers of his generation, however when it comes to big England games, he seems to rely on penalties for his goalscoring chances. It is the duty of the players around him to create and present him with chances to win their games. Under new boss Thomas Tuchel there is hope England will be playing with more attacking freedom to take the games to the opposition. But what is it that England are missing from their creative players, is it goals? Assists? Dribbles? Below I will dive into what each of the four players has to offer and how they could add to the three lions.
In the models below, it compares the four players over various metrics from the Premier League this season.
Phil Foden
Phil Foden is the most creative player out of the 4; his technical ability is there for everyone to see. Playing for one of the best teams in the world does help but his attacking threat is down to individual brilliance, his dribble success rate is 78.57% which is the highest. His ability to receive the ball under pressure and create a goal scoring chances (94 chances already this season) is why he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year two years in a row. A few years ago he was one of the first names on the team sheet but now his inclusion in the squad isn’t a guarantee, however his resurgence of form can’t be overlooked and could be the start of an excellent season. Is he the answer to England’s creative issue?
Jarrod Bowen
Bowen leads nearly all metrics to do with goal output, with being Hammer’s best player he often occupies the central striker role to allow him the chance to produce the game winning moments. He produces the best shot on target percentage with 46% out of the four, out of the four he is probably the biggest goal threat due to his nature of playing as the focal striker but is more than comfortable in one the 3 positions behind the main man. Could he take some pressure off Harry Kane’s shoulders?
Morgan Rogers
If England are looking for someone to carry the ball, then Morgan rogers is the best man for the job. He loves to receive the ball from deep and drive into the opposition’s half. This will allow England to transition up the pitch quickly and create opportunities on the counter with his speed of dribbling, however with a low dribble success rate of 60.61% it does leave the question whether this would be good enough against the top international teams in the world. Could Morgan Rogers be the driving force behind England at the World Cup?
Eberechi Eze
Eze leads the four with the most shots and touches in the opposition box (averaging 3.15 touchers per 90), for Arsenal he plays either in the 10 position or off the left, with Arsenal’s high possession stats and attacking threat it gives Eze the chance to produce high up the pitch. Eze is all about attack and not so much the defensive side of football, this will give England a huge creative threat and a player very dangerous on the counter attack but could leave them short when regrouping. Will Eze provide enough of an attacking threat to get England over the line at a major tournament?
