Three Lions Squad Strength Called 'Absurd' - Welsh Boss Craig Bellamy
- Published
Friendly match: England v Wales
Venue: Wembley Stadium, the capital Date: Thursday, 9 October Kick-off: 19:45 BST
The Wales head coach says the English player pool is remarkable that matchmakers wouldn't pair them against the Welsh team.
The Welsh squad meet England in a friendly at the national stadium on Thursday before their crucial World Cup qualifier against Belgium next the following week.
National team coach Thomas Tuchel has omitted the such as Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Grealish from his selection for the Wales friendly and their qualifying game against Latvia.
"The English have a ridiculous squad, similar to France," Bellamy remarked.
"England have a transfer market value of £1.4bn, ours is 170 million. Were you a fight promoter, you wouldn't match us up. That wouldn't be permitted."
Bellamy explains ensuring the Welsh team can face the star-studded rivals is a "key motivation".
Bellamy added: "We do not rely on values, but the reality is they have more than one team. They possess two, three, four and France and others have the same level. They have loads of top talents and that's the honest truth."
"A defender went out with injury the recently and there's only 24 more to choose from! They've got 60-odd footballers. I'd love Wales to be stacked like them."
These two nations last faced each other at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when the English ran out easy victors in a group match before the previous England team reached the quarter-finals.
Southgate's successor is Thomas Tuchel, a Champions League and world club champion at Chelsea who has won domestic titles in France and his native Germany.
Bellamy was previously an coach at Anderlecht and Burnley to Kompany, who replaced him at Bayern Munich.
"He's an outstanding coach - his record is proven," he added.
"I possess a degree of understanding because the club he left I am familiar with people who have joined. I gain a bit of an insight from that of how he works and it's very impressive. "
"His tactical detail is top level and I wanted to be facing such a challenge - see how we adjust because he will. I will get to learn from it. I aspire to reach such heights."
Welsh Squad Selection
Goalkeepers: Karl Darlow (Leeds), Davies (Sheffield Utd), Tom King (the Toffees).
Defenders: Cabango (Swansea City), Dasilva (Coventry), B. Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Kpakio (Cardiff City), Dylan Lawlor (Cardiff City), Mepham (West Brom), Joe Rodon (Leeds), Williams (Forest).
Midfielders: Ethan Ampadu (Leeds United), David Brooks (the Cherries), Jordan James (Leicester - loaned by Stade Rennais), Sheehan (Bolton Wanderers), Thomas (Stoke City), H. Wilson (the Cottagers), J. Colwill (Cardiff), Rubin Colwill (Cardiff).
Forwards: Nathan Broadhead (the Red Dragons), Cullen (Swansea), Harris (Oxford), Lewis Koumas (Birmingham - on loan from Liverpool), Johnson (Spurs), Kieffer Moore (Wrexham), Isaak Davies (Cardiff City).
