England are to axe seven players from the squad this week (Image: Getty)
England boss Gareth Southgate must axe seven stars from his provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024. The players will have one final chance to impress their national team boss on Friday when the Three Lions host Iceland at Wembley.
Southgate will then submit his final list of 26 names to UEFA and an announcement will be made on Saturday.
Our writers have had their say on which of these 33 players should not get a seat on the plane to Germany.
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), James Trafford (Burnley).
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa
Mikael McKenzie
To be cut: Ramsdale, Quansah, Konsa, Dunk, Maddison, Jones, Bowen
James Trafford has to make the plane. The third-choice keeper never plays so it makes sense to take a future star for the experience.
There are way too many defenders in the squad so three centre-halves have to go. Trent Alexander-Arnold is class as a midfielder – but he could easily slot into right-back if we have any major issues.
Eberechi Eze offers something different and is an exciting wildcard option from the bench. He’d provide more flair than James Maddison, Curtis Jones and Jarrod Bowen.
James Trafford is fighting for his place on the plane (Image: Getty)
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Jonathan Spencer
To be cut: Trafford, Dunk, Quansah, Jones, Gallagher, Eze, Toney
There are a few very very very tough calls in here, most notably the omissions of Eberechi Eze and Ivan Toney. Ollie Watkins gets the nod over the Brentford striker for me – you can’t not take him following the season he has just had, especially when you take into account the amount of action Toney has missed this term.
Meanwhile, the Eze exclusion is such a tough call to make. He is some player and will get plenty of England caps going forward, but the experience others bring and consistency throughout the season, from the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon, will be of huge value to Gareth Southgate.
Fraser Watson
To be cut: Trafford, Konsa, Quansah, Wharton, Bowen, Gordon, Jones
Having an embarrassment of riches at his disposal isn’t a problem that will yield much sympathy for Gareth Southgate, but it makes more some difficult decisions over who will be left at home when England head to Germany.
Having said that, a lack of defensive cover, especially at left back, should mean fortunate selection for the likes of Kieran Trippier and Luke Shaw. Two defenders likely to be cut though are Ezri Konso and Jarrell Quansah, while uncapped keeper James Trafford is surely only in the provisional squad for experience.
The volume options available to Southgate is likely to see that trip joined by Adam Wharton, Curtis Jones, and Anthony Gordon. Jarrod Bowen meanwhile, will also miss out.
Harry Smith
To be cut: Trafford, Quansah, Dunk, Konsa, Toney, Gordon, Maddison
The three goalkeepers pick themselves. Jordan Pickford is the clear number one and Dean Henderson will be his understudy. Neither of the third-choice options will get a sniff, but Aaron Ramsdale’s experience and personality mean he gets the nod in my squad.
Southgate’s centre-back roster is bloated, and the quality is far from inspiring. Ezri Konsa isn’t needed with Joe Gomez able to fill his profile, and this tournament comes too soon for Jarell Quansah, despite his abundant talent. Lewis Dunk’s inclusion in the provisional squad is a head-scratcher, especially at the expense of the superior Fikayo Tomori.
With Kane a shoo-in to start every game, Southgate can pick rest easy dropping one of Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney. The latter’s record from the spot makes him a compelling option, but the Aston Villa man is hard to ignore off the back of a breakout campaign. With so many options behind them, James Maddison and Anthony Gordon are the other unlucky two to miss out.
Ivan Toney is a doubt to make the final 26 (Image: Getty)
Charlie Gordon
To be cut: Trafford, Dunk, Quansah, Jones, Maddison, Grealish, Watkins
James Trafford is the obvious weak link in the goalkeeper quartet Gareth Southgate picked in his provisional squad. Four centre-backs will be quite enough for England, particularly with the likes of Ezri Konsa and Joe Gomez able to play in multiple positions, meaning two can be axed to free up space for our most talented prospects at the top-end of the pitch. For me, Jarell Quansah and Lewis Dunk are the pair to make way.
Curtis Jones is not quite at the level of England’s other central midfielders, making him a simple omission. Admittedly, Ivan Toney ahead of Ollie Watkins up top is a controversial choice, particularly given recent form, but the Brentford man brings others into play brilliantly and he is deadly from the spot. It’s a close call between Jack Grealish and Eberechi Eze on the left, but Eze brings a certain X-factor which could be invaluable from the bench. And for the final place, the supremely talented Adam Wharton narrowly gets the nod over James Maddison due to the number of options England already have in the No. 10 role.
