Does James Hill Deserve To Be Called Up To The Next England Squad?

Being Bournemouth fans, there has been a theme ever since the first promotion to the Premier League in 2015, that players get called up for England based on the size of the club they play for, instead of how well they are playing.

Whenever there is discussion over who should be called up for England, the Dominic Solanke situation is the perfect link to make. Throughout the whole of the 23/24 season when Solanke scored 19 Premier League goals for Bournemouth, he didn't get called up,  but as soon as he joined Spurs, he got called up. He wasn't playing anywhere near as good as he was at Bournemouth, but because he was at a bigger club, he got the call up.

James Hill looks like he could be another victim of this, as he has been a mainstay in the Bournemouth defence over the last 18 months. If you were to ask any England fan if a centre back who's only 4 losses in the last 10 months have been against Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool whilst also finishing 6th and not conceding for over 600 minutes, they would think it was a given that the player should be called up.

However, as soon as they hear that said player is James Hill from Bournemouth, they will turn their noses up, because he doesn't play for a big club.

Nottingham Forest fans made a very valid point when Morgan Gibbs-White wasn't called up for the 2026 World Cup. He was the highest scoring English 10 that season, had been Forest's most consistent performer for well over 2 years, yet couldn't make a 26 man squad that saw Jordan Henderson, Trevoh Chalobah, Jarell Quansah and Ivan Toney all get selected.

James Hill has performed significantly better than Rico Lewis, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jarell Quansah this season, and all 3 of those defenders were called up to the last squad in September. On top of that, Trevoh Chalobah is out injured, and Harry Maguire is currently in a relegation battle with Manchester United. 

Now feels like the best chance for Hill to represent England and get the call up, as he can even play well at right back to cover for the injured Reece James.

Ability wise, Hill is one of the most complete English centre backs, backed up yesterday by Marco Rose saying that he is 'one of the best on the ball defenders in the Premier League'. His recovery pace, passing range and physicality from open play and set pieces is prevalent whenever he is playing alongside Antonio Silva or at right back.

Tuchel also said that these International breaks are a great chance for him to have a look at players who haven't played yet for England, or got much playing time in previous camps, so why can't James Hill be that next player to make the step up?