Chris Waddle Questions Jobe Bellingham's England Call-Up

Chris Waddle has questioned Thomas Tuchel’s decision to fast‑track Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham into the England squad, calling the selection “strange” and wondering why more established Premier League performers have been overlooked.

The 21-year-old has earned his first senior call-up and will now share a dressing room with his older brother Jude, the Real Madrid star who previously lit up Dortmund before heading to Spain. Tuchel, who coached the German club between 2015 and 2017, has turned to the younger Bellingham as he reshapes his England midfield, but not everyone is convinced.

“There are plenty of question marks over that,” Waddle told iGaming.com, making no attempt to hide his surprise. He pointed to players “making headlines” in the Premier League and asked why they had been left out while Bellingham, still carving out his reputation in the Bundesliga, has been promoted. “It is strange,” he added.

The sense of intrigue grows when you consider the Dortmund links. Jude Bellingham became a superstar there. Tuchel built part of his coaching reputation there. Now Jobe, the latest midfielder off the Dortmund production line, finds himself propelled into the international spotlight.

“They’ve been talking him up,” Waddle said, suggesting Dortmund’s internal hype machine has done its work. The former England winger stopped short of dismissing the player’s talent, but his praise came with clear limits. He has watched Dortmund “once or twice” this season and seen a “decent job” from Bellingham, yet nothing to suggest a midfielder already capable of dictating games at the very highest level. “He hasn’t taken the team by the hand either,” Waddle observed.

That matters in context. Dortmund’s midfield is hardly short of competition. Joey Veerman brings control and passing range, Marcel Sabitzer offers experience and aggression, Felix Nmecha adds physicality and forward running, while Konstantinos Karetsas is pushing through with his own promise. Bellingham is fighting for minutes and influence there, never mind in an England shirt.

So why now? Waddle openly wonders whether Tuchel’s past at Dortmund has played a part. “Who knows whether it’s all a favour to his old club Dortmund,” he said, floating the idea rather than dressing it up as fact, but the implication is clear: this call-up feels political as much as it feels footballing.

Waddle is not rooting against the player. Far from it. He would “be pleased” if Bellingham shines in an England shirt, and he recognises that a breakthrough performance could silence the doubters in an instant. What jars with him is the timing and the hierarchy it appears to disrupt.

“Like so many people, I didn’t see this coming. It’s a strange selection,” he admitted.

Now comes the real test. England face two Nations League fixtures, against Croatia and Spain, and Waddle expects any opportunity for Bellingham to come early rather than late. If Tuchel is going to experiment, it will likely be in the opener.

“If he gets a chance, it will probably be in the first game against Croatia, because Tuchel will have to field his strongest team against Spain,” Waddle predicted.

The debate around the call-up will not fade before then. It will be settled, one way or the other, when and if Jobe Bellingham steps onto the pitch and shows whether this leap into the England squad is a visionary move or a gamble driven by old loyalties.