Big news as UEFA vote allows expansion of squad size to 26 players for Euro 2024. It has been determined that this new rule will become the standard for all UEFA national competitions going forward. This has large implications on each national team, and could cause both solutions and problems.
For Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany and many other international squads, there will now be large debate as to which additional players to bring. Some squads might have been better off with a tight 23 player squad, whereas three additional players could cause disruptions to the locker room.
The idea is to create greater squad rotation to prevent injuries, however, in reality many teams have not seen any more rotation than before. Managers will need to wisely select which players they join the expanded squad this summer.
As for Nagelsmann, top candidates will include Leon Goretzka, Timo Werner, Serge Gnabry, Lukas Klostermann, or the re-introduction of Borussia Dortmund candidates. Nagelsmann is likely to bring an additional defender, midfielder, and forward.
One name that could be an interesting addition is Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonas Hofmann. While excluded from the last international break, Hofmann has been part of the squad in recent years and been a star in the Bundesliga once again this year. An often underlooked yet vital cog of the Leverkusen team. Hofmann can also play on the wing, as an attacking midfielder, and has even started as a right-back for Germany in 2022 (though with mixed success).
Over the coming weeks, there should be reports on who Nagelsmann will be adding but he surely doesn’t have a shortage of options.
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