Djed Spence will travel to the World Cup after being named in England’s squad while Trent Alexander‑Arnold has been left out, a choice that crystallises Thomas Tuchel’s preference for defensive versatility over reputation.
Spence — who has made 43 appearances for Tottenham this season and started the club’s 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers — has four England caps and made the last of them against Uruguay in March. He made his senior international debut in September when Tuchel handed him a first cap in Belgrade, and has been used on both flanks at club level. Pedro Porro occupies the right when fit; Spence tends to play on the left when Destiny Udogie is unavailable.
The weight of the selection is striking: Alexander‑Arnold has not been called up to the England squad since June 2025, when his only appearance under Tuchel came as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Andorra. That absence follows an ankle injury during his final season at Liverpool that kept him out of Tuchel’s first squad in March 2025 and a later hamstring problem that ruled him out of the October camp. Alexander‑Arnold moved to Real Madrid last summer, provided five assists in 30 appearances across all competitions in his first season there, and saw the club finish the campaign without a trophy; he has been capped 38 times by England but made only three starts at major tournaments.
Tuchel’s final selection also favours younger full‑back options: Tino Livramento was preferred over Trent Alexander‑Arnold for the tournament places, and Luke Shaw was not picked. For Spence, the call-up is both an endorsement and a gamble. He has started only one of Tottenham’s past five games, but his blend of pace, one‑v‑one defending and ball‑carrying has prompted comparisons with some of the country’s more attacking full‑backs; there were stretches in the middle of last season when he looked like one of Tottenham’s best players.
The context here is stark. Spence has faced questions about his attitude dating back to the start of his senior career — Tuchel even said in November he “didn’t like it” when Spence appeared to ignore then‑Spurs manager Thomas Frank after a league defeat by Chelsea. Yet Tuchel has continued to value Spence’s flexibility: he is comfortable at either left‑back or right‑back and offers the kind of defensive traits Tuchel appears to be prioritising.
The tension in the pick is immediate and physical. Spence suffered a broken jaw after a collision with Chelsea’s Liam Delap in Tottenham’s defeat at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening and is expected to wear a protective mask for Sunday’s Premier League game against Everton. Selecting a player carrying a recent facial fracture for a World Cup squad invites questions about sharpness and durability; the protective mask may protect the injury, but it will also alter how Spence challenges and carries the ball at pace.
Opposite that gamble sits Alexander‑Arnold’s omission. A player who debuted for England in 2018 and has been used in central midfield on occasion under Gareth Southgate, he still offers creative output — five assists in 30 appearances at Real Madrid — but has been sidelined from Tuchel’s plans for more than a year. The manager’s choice to prefer Livramento and include Spence, even with recent fitness concerns, signals a clear tactical and personnel shift.
Tuchel has picked a squad that prioritises adaptability at full‑back; whether it pays off will depend on recovery and form. If Spence can play through a broken jaw and still deliver the one‑v‑one defensive work and forward carry that earned him his caps, the decision will look prescient. If not, Alexander‑Arnold’s absence will be remembered as the moment a long international run quietly closed.
