Premier League players who need a summer transfer for World Cup place: Grealish, Chiesa…

These 10 Premier League players probably won’t be at the 2026 World Cup if they don’t move clubs in the summer transfer window.

Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace and France)
There’s not much more Mateta can do at Crystal Palace to prove to Didier Deschamps that he’s worthy of a place in his France squad. He did enough for Thierry Henry to include him in the Olympics squad last year – as one of the three over-23 players – after scoring 14 goals in the second half of the 2023/24 Premier League season.

After another 14 goals – this time across the whole of 2024/25 – Mateta still isn’t in Deschamps’ thinking. It might take a move away from Palace to change that. Will Europa League exploits be enough? Manchester United could do a lot worse…

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Jack Grealish (Manchester City and England)
It’s not gone particularly well for Grealish at Man City, though he has plenty of winner’s medals from his four years in Manchester. His goal and assist numbers have consistently disappointed and his best – and debatably only successful – campaign on an individual level came in 2022/23, when he played a crucial role in the club’s historic Treble-winning season.

His inclusion in Lee Carsley’s first England squad raised a few eyebrows and rightly so, but the winger justified the decision with a goal against the Republic of Ireland – a delicious narrative drawn up by football’s scriptwriters. But Thomas Tuchel has not picked Grealish in his first two squads and the ex-Aston Villa captain now has a lot of work to do to earn a World Cup place.

There’s no question that Grealish has to leave City this summer. That’s not just for the sake of his international career, but his career full stop. Pep Guardiola’s rotation bingo can frustrate the best, and while injuries haven’t helped, his transformation under Pep has been for the worse. The exciting, direct, risk-taking Grealish we loved has been stripped away. A move would help him rediscover himself – and maybe a place on the plane.

Is he joining Liverpool? No but…

Joao Pedro (Brighton and Brazil)
It doesn’t look like Pedro has much of a future at Brighton, with Chelsea reportedly interested in taking him off the Seagulls’ hands. A split seems inevitable after being left out of Fabian Hurzeler’s final two squads of the season following a training ground altercation (reportedly with Jan Paul van Hecke). Given he was the fall guy, we suspect Pedro was the one in the wrong.

Brazil’s No.9 spot is wide open. New coach Carlo Ancelotti might prefer a winger through the middle – perhaps Rodrygo – but if he wants a more natural option, Pedro could still emerge as the go-to guy. The competition is Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus. Which says it all, really.

Move to a bigger club, play more consistently, even just slightly up his game – and Pedro could be leading the line for Brazil next summer.

Joshua Zirkzee (Manchester United and Netherlands)
He’s only been at Old Trafford a year, but that’s more than enough time for anyone. United’s summer intentions are clear: improve in attack. That doesn’t bode well for Zirkzee, who’s a long shot for Ronald Koeman’s World Cup squad as things stand.

Zirkzee clearly has technical ability, but he’s lacked the physicality and end product to thrive in the Premier League. There’s been talk of a Serie A return – even on loan – and with Matheus Cunha already in, Bryan Mbeumo likely to follow, and a proper No.9 on the agenda, minutes will be hard to come by. No one knows his best position and there’s no European football to help showcase himself either.

Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea and France)
Talk of Nkunku leaving Chelsea isn’t new. Ending his Blues nightmare is essential to getting his career back on track and giving France another goalscoring option.

Before moving to Stamford Bridge, he was one of Europe’s most highly rated forwards; he claimed 23 goals and nine assists in his final season at RB Leipzig after notching 35 goal contributions in the Bundesliga the year before. At Chelsea, he’s done well in the cups and Europe (11 goals in 15 games) but he’s barely started in the Premier League.

Liam Delap’s arrival from Ipswich means even fewer minutes next season. Buying Nkunku is a risk, sure, but a calculated one. For the club, the player and for France, who could really do with Leipzig-era Nkunku in North America.

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Federico Chiesa (Liverpool and Italy)
There is no chance Chiesa makes it to the World Cup if 2025/26 is anything like his miserable debut season at Liverpool. Fourteen appearances. Four starts. Arne Slot’s side won the title at a canter and barely needed him.

A serious knee injury after Euro 2020 prevented Chiesa from kicking on when he was being touted as one of the best wingers in the world. There was talk of a £100m move to the Premier League but he ended up joining Liverpool for around £12.5m in 2024.

He’s now a shadow of his former self, and rotting on the bench helps nobody. Not him. Not Italy. He needs to accept defeat – urgently.

Diogo Dalot (Manchester United and Portugal)
Dalot’s slipped down the pecking order at United following Erik ten Hag’s departure – not because of favouritism, but because he simply doesn’t suit Ruben Amorim’s three-at-the-back formation.

His form has nosedived. There’s more room for improvement here than with most others on this list, but if he’s not trusted as a wing-back and can’t play centre-back, he’s going to spend a lot of time on the bench.

United are open to selling anyone. They’d have flogged Bruno Fernandes if he’d been willing to move to Saudi Arabia. With a World Cup looming, this summer is pivotal for Dalot and friends.

Niclas Fullkrug (West Ham and Germany)
Like Pedro and Brazil, the No.9 spot is there for the taking for Germany. Kai Havertz is a shoo-in as things stand – and that’s not even his natural position. Then again, what is?

West Ham’s 2024/25 season was a disaster. Fullkrug’s assessment of their “s**t” performances was the most entertainment they offered. The German needs service to score – and hasn’t had any. He didn’t adapt, and poor seasons from Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and co. didn’t help.

A swift return to the Bundesliga could be perfect. He scored 12 and assisted eight in 29 league games for Borussia Dortmund in 2023/24, and has 14 goals in 22 caps for Germany. If he stays at West Ham, the only justification for calling him up would be that goal record.

Joe Gomez (Liverpool and England)
Gomez feels like a stellar squad player option for England, but even that might be out of reach if he spends another season doing next to nothing at Liverpool.

It’s a surprise he hasn’t pushed for a move already. There’s no sign of him flying up Arne Slot’s defensive pecking order – not as a right-back, centre-back or left-back. That versatility makes him valuable for club and country. But not if no-one’s using it.

Jadon Sancho (Manchester United and England)
Back to square one, then? Where does Sancho go from here? A permanent exit from Manchester United is inevitable, but who’s going to take him?

Swallowing his pride and moving to a West Ham or Crystal Palace might be his best option in the Premier League – they can offer European football, which United can’t. But it might be smarter to head abroad again. Borussia Dortmund gave him a lifeline and he repaid them by helping them reach a Champions League final. Maybe they’ll do him a favour again.

Either way, Sancho needs to be playing regularly and impressively if he wants even a sniff of a World Cup return. Right now, he’s not even in the conversation.

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