Lewis Cook? Glenn Murray? Who are the 'outsiders' that should feature for England at the 2018 World Cup?
As England prepare to face the Netherlands and Italy in international friendlies, there's been debate regarding some of those players who missed out on the squad.
England find themselves just four games away from their clash with Tunisia on June 18th which will be their first of the 2018 World Cup.
There's some players who are involved in these friendlies, and some who aren't, that may be picked in the 23-man squad to Russia.
Tom Carnduff looks at some of the 'outsiders' for the squad, alongside odds from Sky Bet, and discusses some of the options that Gareth Southgate has available to him.
Nick Pope – 4/5
Despite a number of impressive performances for Burnley whilst covering for Tom Heaton, Pope finds himself as the fourth favourite goalkeeper for a spot on the plane to Russia.
The 25-year-old has stepped up in Heaton’s long-term absence and has featured in 27 Premier League games this season, keeping 11 clean sheets.
It was hard to imagine that England may be heading to a World Cup with a bit of a goalkeeping crisis, but they find themselves in that situation given the individual performances of some of the other candidates.
Pope deserves a spot as one of the three goalkeepers in the 23-man squad. His save percentage of 80.2% in the Premier League this season is only beaten by Manchester United star David de Gea (80.7%).
That statistic puts him in a much better place than England’s other three candidates. Jack Butland has an 68.3% save percentage, whilst Jordan Pickford sits with 67.3% and Joe Hart currently finds himself on 53.5%.
Whilst the argument for Hart is that he provides experience, it’s the debate of whether a player deserves a World Cup spot given their performances this season. The West Ham goalkeeper, who is on his second loan spell away from Manchester City, continues to have question marks surrounding his England status.
For me, Pope is a better option for Gareth Southgate.
James Tarkowski – 6/4
Similar to Pope, James Tarkowski has enjoyed a positive season, as Burnley have one of the best defensive records in the Premier League.
His performances have earned him a spot in the squad for the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy and there’s every chance that he could also be in the squad for Russia.
John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Joe Gomez and Gary Cahill are all fancied more in the betting, but for me I’d be looking at Tarkowski to be on the plane given the season that Burnley have seen so far.
I’d back Tarkowski with a spot over either Jones or Cahill, who do provide the experience but not necessarily better performances than what the Burnley man brings.
Lewis Dunk – 16/1
One of the bigger prices for the side in Russia is Brighton defender Lewis Dunk, who has been a regular feature for the Seagulls as they achieved promotion and look likely to survive in their debut Premier League season.
Like Burnley, Brighton have had a good season in defence, conceding the joint-lowest amount of goals than 13 other Premier League sides.
Dunk, 26, has been at the heart of that Brighton defence, and has captained the side for part of their top-flight adventure so far.
Whilst there are other candidates available, Dunk could be a wildcard selection, albeit a good one, for Southgate as he builds his squad for the trip to Russia.
For me, Dunk should be much shorter than the 16/1 price available on him to be one of the 23 men involved for England.
Fabian Delph – 5/2
I was quite surprised when I saw Delph at 5/2 to make the squad for Russia, given how useful he could prove to be for Southgate.
The Manchester City man has been featuring largely at left-back for Pep Guardiola’s men during their dominant Premier League season, but also has experience in midfield and could be a bit of a utility player for England in Russia.
The 28-year-old misses this round of international friendlies through injury, but has been a part of previous England squads having featured in nine games since his debut in September 2014.
Even if there are a number of options available in the midfield positions, Delph should be one of those in the squad given the fact he’ll also be coming off the back of a largely successful domestic season.
He’d have a battle to make the starting XI at the World Cup, but he certainly has the quality to slot in where needed and adds more than just depth to the England squad should he be required.
He rivals Jake Livermore in the betting for a spot in the 23-man squad, and I’d be taking Delph over the West Brom midfielder with the odds available on both.
Lewis Cook – 5/1
Another midfielder who could be on the plane to Russia is Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook, who has once again been called up to the squad for the next two friendlies.
He was included by Southgate during the last international break, but failed to make it onto the pitch in draws over Germany and Brazil.
He is the best young midfielder that England currently possess. He was a star for Leeds United in the Championship and has stepped up with similar performances for Eddie Howe’s side in the Premier League.
Cook also led England to success at under-20s level, being named as captain as they lifted the World Cup in South Korea.
His eye-catching performances for England at youth levels, coupled with growing calls for a senior debut from his club manager, put him in a good position to potentially feature at the senior World Cup in the summer.
He’s been backed in from 10/1 to make the final squad after the announcement of his involvement in the friendlies, and I’d expect the odds to fall further as the season draws to a close.
Leon Bailey – 10/1
This is one of the bigger outsiders to make the England squad, but nevertheless could prove to be a quality addition if they can persuade him to pledge his international future to the Three Lions.
The Bayern Leverkusen winger has enjoyed a terrific season in the Bundesliga, scoring nine goals and assisting a further five as his side sit fifth in the standings.
Bailey has refused to commit his senior future to Jamaica, despite appearing for them at youth levels, and this could benefit England, Belgium or Germany.
On committing his future to Jamaica, the 20-year-old told BILD: "It's been like that for years, but my opinion hasn’t changed and people have to accept that. Which country I play for is still open."
The Mirror reports that England are looking at a potential involvement for Bailey at the World Cup, with ‘sources close to the player’ claiming that an offer from England ‘would be hard for him to turn down’.
The lure of World Cup involvement might be enough to bring Bailey to the England camp if Southgate was interested, and given the talent that he possesses, there would be no harm in getting him involved.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 10/1
The strikers are always a hot topic of debate when it comes to World Cup time and for me there is still one spot up for grabs in that department.
Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford are certainties to be involved if fit, but Danny Welbeck or Daniel Sturridge have done little this season to stake a claim on a place in the side.
The first of three striking options would be Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The 21-year-old has struck eight goals and contributed a further six assists this season, decent form given Everton’s struggles for the first half of the campaign.
Much like Lewis Cook, Calvert-Lewin experienced success in South Korea and departed as a World Cup winner, scoring the only goal in the 1-0 final victory over Venezuela.
The youngster added two to his tally during that tournament, and has been regularly involved in first-team football during the 2017/18 campaign.
Whilst Dominic Solanke scored more at the under-20s World Cup, he’s failed to hit the same heights as Calvert-Lewin this season and I’d be picking the Everton man if presented with a choice between the two.
Callum Wilson – 14/1
The second striking option comes at a bigger 14/1, and that is Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson.
Despite missing the first few months of the season with a serious injury, Wilson has hit back with seven goals and two assists as his side guide themselves away from relegation trouble.
It’s a big outside choice, but one that would prove more useful than some other potential inclusions that Southgate could make.
He could also provide England with a different option to what the likes of Harry Kane offer, and could be best utilised as a potential impact sub if they require a goal in a game.
He’s bounced back well from an early season setback, and a strong finish to the season could see his odds shorten when it comes close to the time of the squad announcement.
Glenn Murray – 16/1
The final outsider option for Southgate to consider is Brighton forward Glenn Murray.
The 34-year-old has enjoyed a decent spell back in the Premier League, scoring 13 goals in all competitions this season and hitting forming in recent weeks.
It’s a positive to take an in-form striker to a major tournament, and Murray may provide that option for England.
He’s scored five goals in his last six appearances and in all honesty probably should have been involved in this round of friendlies.
If that goal-scoring form continues as the season draws to a close, it’d be hard to argue against giving him some involvement in Russia, especially given the fact that Welbeck, who is 7/4 to be in the squad, has netted three Premier League goals all season.
Brighton have exceeded some people’s expectations as they find themselves in a great position to avoid the drop this season, and there’s no doubt that Murray has played his part in that.
Rickie Lambert received a call-up to the 2014 squad based on his Premier League form, despite his advancing age.
At this rate, Murray is almost certain to exceed the 14 goals that Lambert managed by the end of the season.
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