England boss Thomas Tuchel has made a surprising admission about Jude Bellingham’s conduct, revealing his mother isn’t fond of the former Birmingham City star’s anticsThomas Tuchel and Jude BellinghamJude Bellingham’s behaviour hasn’t gone down well with Thomas Tuchel’s mum(Image: Getty)

Jude Bellingham is on the bad books of Thomas Tuchel’s mum, the England head coach has revealed.

Tuchel has also suggested that the ex-Birmingham City star can be a rather “intimidating” figure to his team-mates. Such candid comments from a manager about a key player are bound to turn heads and could potentially lead to friction.

That is not what England needs following a dire week which has seen a turgid 1-0 win over Andorra in World Cup qualifying and a home defeat to Senegal in a friendly. Bellingham has developed a reputation with officials, having been sent off and suspended in La Liga.

He also caused a stir at the Euros last year following a gesture that led to a UEFA probe. Tuchel’s mother, Gabriele, who closely monitors her son’s career, seems to have reservations about the Real Madrid star’s contrasting character, reports the Mirror.

Tuchel told talkSPORT: “I think it has to be the other way around, how we can have the best version of him and the best acceptance that people understand what he is bringing to us, and that he is bringing a certain edge.

“But I see that it can create mixed emotions. I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice and well-educated and well-behaved guy that I see. If he smiles, he wins everyone [over].

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 10: Thomas Tuchel, Head Coach of England reacts during the international friendly match between England and Senegal at City Ground on June 10, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)Thomas Tuchel has spoken out about Bellingham’s conduct(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“But sometimes you see the rage, you see the hunger and the rage and the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive, for example, for my mother, when she sits in front of the TV. I see that, but in general we are very happy to have him. He is a special boy.”

Tuchel also acknowledged the need to properly direct Bellingham’s fiery temperament to maximise his potential. The former Chelsea boss added: “I think he has a certain something. I think he brings an edge, which we welcome and which is needed if we want to achieve big things.

“It needs to be channelled. The edge needs to be channelled toward the opponent, towards our goal and not to intimidate team-mates, or to be over-aggressive to team-mates or referees.

Jude BellinghamBellingham remonstrates with referee Stephanie Frappart after seeing a goal ruled out against Senegal(Image: The FA via Getty Images)

“But [channel it] towards opponents, yes, and always towards the solution, meaning towards winning. We are on that, yes. He has the fire. I don’t want to dim this down. He should play with this kind of fire, that’s his strength.

“But the fire comes also with some attributes that can intimidate you. Maybe even as a team-mate.

“You see sometimes the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game, so if he can channel this in the right way, and we can help him in this, then for sure he has the something that we need. And he has a certain edge that is hard to find.”