England No 1 James Beadle is ready to prove his doubters wrong as he targets Euros history for Lee Carsley's U21s this summer

Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

James Beadle is determined to prove that England 's next generation of stars can establish a period of dominance by going back-to-back as winners of the Under-21 European Championships.
Victory in Georgia two years ago saw England win their first Under-21 Euros title in 39 years and with Beadle now Lee Carsley 's No 1, he's eager to show that that success was not a one-off.
'It's been a long build-up now to the tournament and I think the main goal for us is winning,' he said.
'As a country now we want to start winning things and it starts at youth ages like Under-21s so that's what we want to do.'
England's final four preparation games in the lead up to the Euros saw them draw two tricky away games to Spain and the Netherlands, lose away to France before beating Portugal at home.
So, how does Beadle think this 23-man squad picked by Carsley, which is set to lose Jobe Bellingham as he nears a move to Borussia Dortmund in time for the Club World Cup, stack up?
'I think we're at least on par if not better when you look at the talent in this squad,' he said.
'We can definitely compete and try to turn them over.'
Beadle is here talking with a calm self-assurance that is well mature beyond his 20 years of age.
It is striking too that he has not been rocked by an end of season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday where he found himself dropped as No 1 by boss Danny Rohl with eight games to go.
'Overall it was a big learning experience to grow as a player and grow as a person,' Beadle explained.
'I think a lot of things happened, good games, bad games, but overall just a good time of improvement for me.
'Towards the end of my time at Wednesday I don't think I really performed to my best for whatever reason.
'Now after taking a step back I understand why and in this tournament and looking ahead I know what I need to do to be at my best more consistently.'
Crucially then, leading into this tournament, what specifically did Beadle see that he didn't like?
'Just going through clips, going through games, and I just don't think I performed to my capabilities,' he added.
'I know how good I am, I know I can perform at that level, and in the future I know what I need to do to stay more at my level.'
Beadle played 38 times in the Championship last season at the pressure cooker that is Sheffield Wednesday and Mail Sport understands he will join Birmingham City on loan from parent club Brighton this time around.
He is a young goalkeeper navigating his way and has spent much of his early career in at the deep end as a No 1.
'Sometimes you've got to take a step back to properly look at it and that's when I came out of the team,' he continued.
'It was really hard to take at the time but when you take a step back and realise how I was actually performing, it is what it is.
'I don't really go on social media or anything, I try to live in my own bubble, but at the time when results aren't going well and you aren't performing at the level you can you know you're going to get criticised. I have no issue being criticised if I know I'm not performing to the level I can.'
For now, all talk of a new move has been parked to the side and Beadle is laser-focused on the Euros, which get underway for England live on Channel 4 on Thursday night against Czechia.
Beadle holds Premier League ambitions and he hopes this tournament can elevate his profile
James Trafford won this tournament as No 1 goalkeeper in 2023 and is now playing in the Premier League with Burnley. He's also on the radar of the senior side. It is a path Beadle is fully confident he can replicate.
'It's definitely a big goal for me to try and break into that senior side but it starts at club level so hopefully I can do that in the Championship this year and in the near future be in the Premier League and then hopefully get a call-up,' he said,
'I trained with the first team here once which was a brilliant experience as it shows the level you need to get to. I know Traf [James Trafford] from the 21s and just seeing how they work and hoping to get in that squad soon.
'I trained with [Jordan] Pickford, [Dean] Henderson and [Nick] Pope so it was a really good level.
'It showed how different they all are and it's about just being the best you can be and maximising your qualities.
'Pope, Henderson, Pickford are three very different goalkeepers but they all make it work for themselves. As a goalkeeper you need to maximise what you have.'
And that is exactly what Beadle is determined to do. After being taken out of the spotlight to end the club season, he's champing at the bit to remind everyone just how good he really is.