Weird mix. Fully pro players in the squad:
Louie Annesley (Braintree, 5th tier)
Kai Mauro (Cadiz, Spanish 2nd tier/Cadiz C, Spanish 6th tier)
James Scanlon (Manchester United, 1st tier)
Ayoub El Hmidi (USM Oujda, Moroccan 2nd tier)
Jaiden Bartolo (Wycombe Wanderers, 3rd tier)
Liam Jessop (Chesterfield, 4th tier)
Mauro may only be playing for Cadiz C but is only 17 so non-zero chance he steps up to the B team or higher next season if he keeps progressing. Some domestic players like De Barr and Walker I think are on pro terms too. Richards has the ability to go pro but only played twice for Dorking B while trying to prove his fitness and attending trials at other clubs after leaving Derby, and Carrington is at a youth only club in Spain’s top youth league - apparently was wanted by Cat 2 Academies in England last summer but his club at the time couldn’t come to an agreement over compensation. Meanwhile Jamie Coombes is playing in the Australian 5th tier which is amateur. Certainly an interesting choice to call him up ahead of someone like Kye Livingstone who is attracting interest from the UK.
These positions are as UEFA recognises them but Ethan Britto started as a LB and has moved back there since Jayce Olivero was dropped by Wiseman (due to his sister quitting the women’s team in protest at Wiseman’s alleged bullying). Valarino can play full-back and Kian Ronan has spent the last two seasons as RB at King’s Lynn, even played there in the March internationals. Dan Bent started as a CB at Gillingham and during his college soccer career but moved into midfield later on. So they have plenty of utility options - plus Liam Jessop was converted to RWB by Chesterfield’s youth coaches despite being a more natural winger. This was how they set up last time:
Honestly the versatility of the players could in theory help them transition better when playing teams of a similar stature (like the Faroe Islands in this window), if they have a capable enough manager. The previous coach was not that guy. The fact that all 5 of the players ahead of Bent are equally capable of playing in midfield or attack means they can rotate positions as well. Croatia will be a wriite off cos come on, it’s Croatia, but the Faroe game will be a real test of whether they can compete with the “developing” lower-mid teams in Europe.
And a current Wycombe player on the bench. Games are normally free to watch without commentary on the viaplay YouTube channel so I’ll be watching, hopefully Tjay and Jaiden can hold their own vs Croatia and maybe get a goal against the Faroes.
According to AI (Accumulated Information, as I prefer to call it to reflect the fact that false and/or malicious “information” can infiltrate the database) Whitby Town FC and Llandudno FC are also referred to as the Seasiders although some Whitby fans prefer The Blues.
