Arsenal thrown title race curveball as Thomas Tuchel makes decision on four England players

Thomas Tuchel and Bukayo Saka in England training (Image: Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Thomas Tuchel has thrown Mikel Arteta a curveball ahead of the Premier League title race run-in. The England boss has called up four Arsenal players to his squad ahead of friendlies against Uruguay and Japan later this month.

Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke will join the Three Lions camp at St. George's George's Park next week as Tuchel steps up preparations for the World Cup in the summer. Although Mikel Arteta will be delighted to see his players represent England on the world stage, he'll be following the action from behind his sofa.

The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League and nine points adrift of Manchester City, who have a game in hand. A couple of weeks after the upcoming international break, Arsenal will lock horns with Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad Stadium.

The north Londoners have failed to beat Manchester City in each of their last 11 visits across all competitions, winning eight and drawing three. In fact, Arsenal haven't left the Etihad Stadium with three points since January 2015 when they won 2-0.

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That said, the Gunners also haven't lost there since April 2023, sharing the points in each of their last two meetings. Nevertheless, Arsenal have the opportunity to significantly dent Manchester City's hopes of winning the English top-flight when they meet next month.

Arteta will want his best players, like Saka and Rice, at his disposal for the title showdown. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, the duo also happen to be key players for England, so it's unlikely that they'll be able to recharge their batteries while away on international duty.

Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice for Arsenal (Image: Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)

Despite concerns over workload, Tuchel has explained the importance of a 35-man squad. The former Chelsea boss said: "We decided to divide it into basically two camps almost, so we bring players in that we haven’t seen who haven’t played so much to open up the picture, and the competition for plane tickets to the US.

"Then from Friday and Saturday, a group of players will come into camp – ten or eleven players who get a rest before and we will then go with a new group and mix of players into the match against Japan."

The 35-man England squad in full

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle United), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion).

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal) , Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal) , Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal) , Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) , Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur).