Arsenal · Midfielder · #10 · England · 27 yrs
Liverpool's teenage forward Rio Ngumoha will leave the England camp after making a major impression on Thomas Tuchel and his international team-mates. The 17-year-ole, who is not in England's 26-man squad for the World Cup, was named man of the match for his debut performance as a second-half substitute in Saturday's 1-0 warm-up win over New Zealand. England play their final pre-tournament friendly on Wednesday against Costa Rica - and it will be interesting to see if Tuchel selects Ngumoha again, especially as there will be a full squad to choose from following the arrivals of Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.
Arsenal forward still struggling with achilles injury‘Bukayo is just not there yet. Some things are missing’Bukayo Saka continues to play through the pain of an achilles injury, according to the England manager, Thomas Tuchel, and must be managed carefully as the start of the World Cup looms large.The Arsenal winger joined up with the England squad in West Palm Beach on Saturday after being given an extra week off after his involvement in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. Tuchel gave a similar break to his other Arsenal players Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke. Continue reading...
Five England players were absent as the England national team arrived in the United States ahead of its first warm-up match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup against New Zealand. England will be one of the last teams to make their debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, giving them additional time to prepare. With that in mind, and just days away from facing New Zealand in a friendly, the team arrived in the United States without five members of its squad. The Three Lions landed in America on Monday and held their first training session Tuesday in West Palm Beach, where they will be based during their pre-tournament preparations before eventually relocating to Kansas City. However, the players who participated in last week’s European club finals did not travel with Thomas Tuchel. After losing the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League title on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal’s players were granted additional rest before joining the squad in the United States. They are Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka. Dean Henderson is in the same situation. The 29-year-old goalkeeper, one of the three shot-stoppers selected by Tuchel alongside Jordan Pickford and James Trafford, played in last Wednesday’s UEFA Conference League final, where Crystal Palace defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0. Thomas Tuchel, Head Coach of England. England’s next steps With permission to join the squad a few days later than their teammates, it remains to be seen whether Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka and Dean Henderson will be available for Saturday’s friendly against New Zealand at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. If not, they are expected to be available for England’s second and final tune-up match before the World Cup, scheduled for June 10 against Costa Rica. In the meantime, to ensure normal training sessions, the head coach has called up a small group of young players to complement the squad. They are Alex Scott, Rio Ngumoha, Josh King, Ethan Nwaneri and Jason Steele. Once the friendlies are complete, The Three Lions will turn their attention to their World Cup opener. England will face Croatia on June 17 in Dallas in what promises to be one of the most attractive matchups of the tournament’s group stage. The remaining Group L matches against Ghana and Panama will follow.
‘The heat is a challenge but we are prepared already’Head coach believes team can go far at tournamentHeat and humidity will be obstacles to overcome but England have full belief in their ability and can go far at the World Cup, Thomas Tuchel has said. The head coach has received help from Team GB, drawing on their Olympic experiences, and other specialists to find solutions for the weather conditions.Some of Tuchel’s 26-player squad flew from Birmingham to Miami on Monday for a 10-day hot-weather acclimatisation camp. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze have been given more time to recover after Saturday’s Champions League final and Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson, who played the Conference League final last week, is also expected to be a later arrival. Continue reading...
Thirst for renewal is strong and new players could help bridge the gap to PSG but there are no guaranteesThe greatest lie ever told about penalty shootouts is that they are a lottery. This is a recognisable and trainable footballing skill, a test not just of ball-striking and placement but research, psychology, mettle under pressure. Eberechi Eze puts the ball wide, Gabriel Magalhães sends it in the direction of the Danube: this is failure on the most brutal and unforgiving terms. But it is failure nonetheless.The second greatest lie ever told about penalties is that fortune plays no part. Any encounter decided by 10 kicks of a football will evidently be at the disproportionate mercy of random factors: the divot, the bad contact, the goalkeeper’s guesswork (and to all the preparation that goes into the process, it remains partly guesswork). That this sport – already a sport of low scores, narrow differentials and infinite variables – chooses to decide its biggest prizes on these smallest of morsels is one of its cruellest traits. Continue reading...
You've been sending us your comments after Arsenal lost Saturday's Champions League final to Paris St-Germain on penalties. Glen: Overall, I thought Arsenal dealt with PSG very well and restricted them to very few real goalscoring opportunities. The one gripe I have, although I love him as a player, is why Eberechi Eze did that stupid stuttering run-up?
After Arsenal's penalty-shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final, Declan Rice spoke about teammates Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes. Arsenal came agonizingly close to winning the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League title but fell to Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout in the final after misses from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes. Following the match, Declan Rice voiced his support for both players. “We love them and we are with them,” the England midfielder said in a post-match interview with TNT, backing the two teammates who failed to convert their penalties. “Without them we wouldn’t have won the Premier League.” Eze was Arsenal’s second penalty taker at a time when PSG held a 2-1 advantage in the shootout. He paused in his run-up, hoping to force goalkeeper Matvey Safonov into an early movement that never came. Faced with that situation, he sent his effort wide of the target. Magalhaes‘ miss was even more dramatic. The Brazilian defender stepped up to take Arsenal’s fifth penalty, knowing he had to score to keep his team’s hopes alive. Attempting to strike the ball with power, Gabriel sent his shot over the crossbar. Gabriel of Arsenal looks dejected as he walks past the UEFA Champions League trophy. “It’s a lottery on penalties. We win together and we lose together,” Rice said. “It happens in football. They won’t be the last players to miss penalties in finals, and without those two we wouldn’t have won the Premier League.” He concluded with a positive message: “Incredible season and given it absolutely everything. I’m so proud of the boys. We will be back.” Eze and Magalhaes must move on quickly Rice is right to highlight the contributions both players made to Arsenal‘s Premier League title-winning campaign. Eberechi Eze was a key figure for Mikel Arteta‘s side throughout the season, recording 10 goals and six assists across all competitions. Gabriel Magalhaes, meanwhile, formed a formidable center-back partnership with William Saliba while contributing four goals and five assists in 51 appearances. Now both players will have to recover from the disappointment and quickly shift their focus to what will likely be the biggest challenge of their professional careers: the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Eze was included among the 26 players selected by Thomas Tuchel to represent England, a decision that generated debate given the competition for places from stars who ultimately missed out, including Phil Foden and Cole Palmer. Magalhaes will also be at the 2026 World Cup with Brazil, where he is expected to partner Marquinhos in central defense—the same Marquinhos who was his opponent with PSG on Saturday.
