Thomas Tuchel would consider lower-division players for England if City were relegated

England manager Thomas Tuchel said in Rijeka on Friday, 2 October, that he would consider selecting a player outside their country’s top division, answering a question about the possibility of Manchester City being relegated. City has appealed an independent commission’s findings over breaches of Premier League financial rules, and no sanction has been decided.

Asked whether he would select players who were no longer playing in the top flight, Tuchel said: ‘There is always a possibility.’ He said he would try to pick the best team for each camp, occasion and tournament. ‘I will never rule out that because they don’t play in the top flight in their country. We need to look at it case by case,’ he added.

His answer sets out a selection principle, rather than a decision about any individual player. Relegation was a hypothetical outcome raised in the question to Tuchel. The Premier League has yet to decide a sanction in City’s case, and the club is challenging the commission’s findings.

What Tuchel said about Manchester City in England camp

Tuchel spoke before England’s Nations League match against Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday. He described the City verdict as a ‘big subject’ in the England camp and said players had discussed it during time off between matches. He said staff had spoken briefly with City players, who had shown they were ready for the next game in training and on the pitch.

Can England select a player from the Championship?

The BBC reported that all 24 players in the current England squad play in top leagues for their clubs. It said appearances for the senior national team by players based outside a top division are very unusual. Tuchel’s comments leave room to judge a player’s form and suitability individually if their club circumstances change.

There is a recent precedent. The BBC identified goalkeeper Sam Johnstone as the last player to represent England while playing in the Championship, with West Brom in 2021. The Football Association’s account of his debut says he played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Romania after West Brom had been relegated from the Premier League.

The BBC also cited James Trafford, who was included in Tuchel’s England squads in March and June 2025 while playing for Championship club Burnley. Trafford was an unused substitute on those occasions. According to the BBC, he did not win a full England cap until after returning to Manchester City.

Why Manchester City’s case prompted the question

In a statement on 29 September, the Premier League said an independent commission found City guilty of all charges concerning serious breaches of its financial rules across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The league said the commission also upheld three of four allegations that the club failed to cooperate with its investigation. Those are the commission’s findings as reported by the Premier League; City disputes them.

According to the league, the commission found that commercial and other arrangements artificially increased City’s reported revenue and reduced its costs by more than £900 million over the period. It said the commission concluded that the club filed misstated accounts and had substantially breached Premier League and UEFA spending limits. These findings explain the scale of the case, but they do not establish what penalty, if any, will ultimately follow the appeal.

City said it lodged a comprehensive appeal at 7pm on Thursday, 1 October. The club denies the accusations and says the commission’s opinion contains ‘clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe’. It said it is restricted in what more it can say while proceedings continue.

The Premier League says a separate hearing will address sanctions. Its rules provide for fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions, while an appeal board can allow or dismiss an appeal or make another order. The outcome of City’s appeal, any sanction and the timing of a final decision remain unknown. The league says the continuing proceedings are private until publication is permitted.

The Football Association said on Friday that the commission’s decision has ‘significant implications for the integrity of the game’. It said it was considering the decision and would act where appropriate, but would not comment further while the proceedings between City and the Premier League continue.

The Premier League says its investigation began in December 2018, a formal complaint followed in February 2023, and the commission’s 42-day hearing ended in December 2024. For England, Tuchel’s immediate task is Saturday’s match against Croatia. His comments leave any future selection decision to the circumstances of the player and the squad at the time.