Thomas Tuchel has told England's players they can do almost anything on their days off in Florida — except board a plane. It's a small restriction with a pointed message: this squad is being managed to the last detail, and the World Cup hasn't even started yet.
"They can almost do what they want," Tuchel said. "No flights — hopefully we have a lot of flights through the tournament." The squad had freedom to head to Miami and decompress ahead of their move to their Kansas City base, but Tuchel drew a line at unnecessary air travel and trusts his players to stay sharp.
"We expect them to live up to the trust, the responsibility we give them," he added. "Everything I have seen of them is a determined group who have a dream but know what it takes." Given that Ben Stokes was dropped by England's cricket team this week after breaking curfew, Tuchel's tone was clearly calibrated — not a warning exactly, but a reminder.
The Anderson Problem Nobody Wants to Solve Right Now
While Tuchel is playing the calm manager in public, there's a subplot building underneath the surface that he can't entirely control. Manchester City have tabled a £120m bid for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson — a figure that, if Forest eventually accept a revised package of around £130m, would make him the third most expensive player in football history, behind only Neymar and Mbappé when they joined PSG.
Forest have said no. Negotiations continue. Anderson played like none of it existed in England's 3-0 win over Costa Rica.
Tuchel's assistant Anthony Barry spoke to Anderson directly about the latest bid. Tuchel himself refused to. "He seems not affected," the England manager said. "It should push him because it's proof of what he's capable of doing."
That framing matters. Tuchel isn't treating the saga as a distraction — he's using it as motivation. Whether that psychological reframe holds up once the tournament is underway and the bids potentially keep rising is a different question.
Anderson has nine caps since debuting against Andorra last September and has become the answer to what Gareth Southgate spent years searching for: a natural partner for Declan Rice. Rice cost Arsenal £105m in 2023. Anderson could cost City more. England's midfield axis for this World Cup carries a combined valuation north of £225m.
A Pattern England Know Too Well
Transfer sagas during tournaments are practically an England tradition at this point. Gerrard nearly went to Chelsea at Euro 2004 and said it hurt his performances. Kane stayed at Spurs after Euro 2020 despite expecting to leave. Gordon's Liverpool move dominated the Euro 2024 camp before collapsing entirely.
The outcomes vary. What rarely varies is the distraction potential — which is exactly why Tuchel is being deliberate about shielding Anderson from it while simultaneously acknowledging it exists.
England open against Croatia on June 17 at the air-conditioned AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Anderson is a certain starter. If Forest and City do agree a deal before then, the price is expected to land somewhere around £130m including add-ons — with Manchester United also in the picture at £106m plus add-ons, though they're unlikely to outbid City.
For now, the camp looks settled. Players are golfing on Palm Beach courses, family is nearby, and the mood Tuchel has created sounds genuinely relaxed. The no-flight rule is the tightest restriction he's imposed.
"Hopefully he just stays the same — a humble, determined, hungry football player," Tuchel said of Anderson. "Absolutely, he is very level-headed."
He'll need to be. The bids aren't stopping.
