Thomas Tuchel has grounded his England squad — literally. Players have been given time off in Florida ahead of relocating to their World Cup base in Kansas, but flying anywhere is off the table. "They can almost do what they want," Tuchel said. "For example, they can't take a flight." Miami is accessible. A plane is not.
It's a small but deliberate signal. Tuchel is building a culture around discipline and shared purpose, and he's doing it without turning the camp into a military operation. Golf on Palm Beach courses, loved ones nearby, wins over New Zealand and Costa Rica in warm-up — the mood has been relaxed. But relaxed within boundaries.
"We expect them to live up to the trust, the responsibility we give them," he said. "Everything I have seen of them is a determined group who have a dream but know what it takes." The Ben Stokes curfew story has been inescapable in British sport this week. Tuchel clearly wants no version of that conversation anywhere near his squad.
The Anderson situation is the real subplot
While Tuchel manages logistics, Manchester City's £120m bid for Elliot Anderson is the transfer saga quietly humming in the background. Nottingham Forest have rejected the offer. Negotiations continue. The overall package could reach £130m, which would make the 23-year-old the third most expensive player in football history — behind only Neymar and Mbappé's moves to PSG in 2017.
That's not a number you shrug off, regardless of how level-headed you are. Tuchel's assistant Anthony Barry has spoken to Anderson about it. Tuchel himself has chosen not to. His reasoning is straightforward: Anderson's performance against Costa Rica — one of England's best players in a 3-0 win — suggested he doesn't need managing around the topic. The bid, if anything, appears to be fuel.
"It should push him because it's proof of what he's capable of doing," Tuchel said. Anderson alongside Declan Rice in the centre of England's midfield is now the settled partnership heading into the opener against Croatia on June 17 in Arlington, Texas. That fixture is the beginning of everything, and Tuchel's plan hinges on that axis holding.
Transfer sagas and tournaments rarely mix well
History gives some comfort — and some warning. England have navigated transfer turbulence at tournaments before, usually without it blowing things up entirely:
- Euro 2004: Steven Gerrard's Chelsea saga visibly affected him — he admitted as much himself after England went out.
- Euro 2016: Jamie Vardy spent one of his days off hearing Arsenal's pitch from Arsène Wenger, then turned them down out of loyalty to Leicester.
- Euro 2024: Anthony Gordon's Liverpool move collapsed mid-tournament; he stayed at Newcastle and has now completed a £70m switch to Barcelona.
- World Cup 2022: Bellingham-to-Liverpool dominated the Qatar camp — he ended up at Real Madrid instead.
The pattern is that these stories rarely resolve cleanly during a tournament, and they don't always derail squads either. Anderson's situation is live, noisy, and unresolved. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is holding out for over £125m. Manchester United have also entered the picture with a £106m-plus-add-ons bid, though they're unlikely to outspend City. If England go deep into this World Cup, that price only goes one direction.
For now, Tuchel's answer is simple: no flights, no distractions, and full trust — but trust that runs both ways. "I have full belief and trust that they will not gamble on that." England travel to Kansas on Saturday. The group stage starts Wednesday. Anderson is a certain starter. The bid is still pending.
