England’s World Cup schedule: Why it’s a logistical nightmare for Three Lions players hoping to move this summer under Thomas Tuchel’s rules | soccer news

Thomas Tuchel says there are concerns transfer rumors could distract some of the squad during this World Cup, but it is inevitable.

The England manager has said that if he were to impose a transfer ban on his players, he would solve the problem anyway by phoning their agents and buying the club privately from his bedroom.

As a result, Tuchel decided to take a “common sense” approach to his rules for England players who want to undergo medicals before switching clubs during the course of the tournament.

That will please players with uncertain futures. Think about it Elliott Anderson, Marcus Rashford, John Stonesand maybe even morgan rogers.

But the reality is – despite Tuchel’s flexible arrangements – there is little time in the squad’s schedule to make that happen. Let’s analyze it in more detail.

Tuchel said he would not be happy with a player wanting to leave the squad temporarily to undergo a medical and negotiate a deal between ‘Matchday Minus Two’ (two days before a World Cup match) and matchday.

But in reality, no player could have suffered a difficult transfer medical on ‘Matchday Plus One’ (the day after the game) if they had played any significant amount of time in the scorching heat of North America.

And if, for example, one of the Manchester clubs were to pay more than £100m for Anderson, possibly breaking the record of the £105m British transfer fee paid by Arsenal for Declan Rice, there is no way they would part with that kind of cash without undergoing a thorough physical examination, medical tests and X-rays.

If a transfer player has not played for several minutes, it may be more practical to conduct a medical the day after the game.

But the truth is that Stones, Anderson, Rashford and Rodgers are Tuchel’s key players and there is absolutely no way the England manager would consider resting them during the game.

Tuchel also pointed out how difficult it is for teams to travel on planes to Dallas, Boston and New Jersey for group matches at this World Cup. He wants his players to have maximum time for rest and recovery.

A closer look at England’s schedule shows just how packed it is. The dates used below assume England have topped Group L.

When England travel to their World Cup home in Kansas City on June 13, there are just three days left until their first group match against Croatia on June 17. Therefore, realistically, there is no possibility of the transfer being completed according to Tuchel’s policy.

Granting that a medical cannot occur on June 18 due to the player’s recovery from the previous day’s game, there are two days left before Tuchel’s cut-off begins again, which is ‘matchday minus two’ ahead of the Ghana game on June 23.

Applying the same rules, there would be absolutely no time for a player to receive a medical between the Ghana and Panama games.

If England get into the World Cup knockout stages they hope for, the gaps between games will be just as narrow.

There were only three days between the third round of the group stage and the round of 32 on July 1, four days until the round of 16 and another four days until the quarter-finals.

There are only three sunny days between that day and the semi-finals, as well as the World Cup final in New York.

So, overall, the only practical window of time in the entire World Cup schedule for an England player to undergo a medical, meet with his agent and buying club, get scans, agree terms and sign a contract while also complying with Tuchel’s policies is in the short window of two days.

That could be either June 19 or 20, or June 12, the final day before the squad leaves its prep camp in Florida and flies to Kansas City.

So it’s not impossible. In fact, Tuchel has made it easier for players to move clubs than his predecessor Gareth Southgate, who imposed a strict ban on all major tournaments.

But still, getting a deal done until after the World Cup in England certainly presents a logistical nightmare for any buying club.