Palmer’s England place uncertain as Tuchel flags availability ahead of Nations League selection
Cole Palmer’s inclusion in England’s squad for the November Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain is uncertain ahead of Friday’s 11:00 GMT selection, with manager Thomas Tuchel saying the forward “misses too many opportunities to play for England”. The 24-year-old Chelsea attacker withdrew from the most recent extended three-week camp after his omission from the World Cup squad.
Palmer is regarded as one of Chelsea’s leading talents but his status with the Three Lions has been debated since Tuchel took charge at the start of 2025. He has begun this campaign with five goals and three assists in all competitions and, among the players competing with him for England places, only team-mate Morgan Rogers has recorded more goal involvements in the opening months. Palmer’s availability for international duty and injury history have been recurring elements in the discussion over his selection.
Statistically, Palmer’s totals are affected by penalties; when spot-kicks are removed he has been outscored by all of the alternatives for England’s number 10 role since the beginning of last season. This season he has also been outscored in open play by Rogers and by Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.
Other contenders provide contrasting profiles. Manchester City’s Phil Foden has eight goal involvements this season — half of them came against AEK Athens in the Champions League — while Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White averages 2.6 chances created per game but those chances are not being converted by his team-mates. Gibbs-White has underperformed his expected goals this season, has outscored Palmer since the start of the 2025-26 campaign and replaced Palmer in Tuchel’s most recent squad.
Palmer’s standing was further affected by World Cup selection decisions: Eberechi Eze, Bellingham and Rogers were chosen ahead of Palmer for the tournament, where England finished third after losing to Argentina in the semi-finals. Bellingham was named England’s player of the year for 2026 after scoring seven goals and providing one assist at the World Cup.
Palmer has made only three appearances, including two starts, under Tuchel without scoring or assisting. Across Tuchel’s near two-year tenure, Bellingham leads Tuchel-era attacking returns with eight goals and six assists, Rogers has three goals and three assists, and Eze three goals and one assist.
Injury and fitness have interrupted Palmer’s international availability. He missed Tuchel’s first camp with a hamstring problem in March 2025 but played 90 minutes in Chelsea’s first Premier League match after that break; in June he featured in a 1-0 win away to Andorra and was an unused substitute in a friendly defeat by Senegal. During the following September, October and November international windows he managed a recurring groin problem that limited his club appearances. His last England outings came in March — he came on as a 56th-minute substitute in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay and started the 1-0 home defeat to Japan, lasting 59 minutes — and he withdrew from the most recent international break with Gibbs-White named as his replacement after saying he had played for Chelsea with “discomfort and pain” before the call-up. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said the attacker was “struggling” in the 3-0 loss by Brentford before the international break.
Palmer then used a nine-day break for Chelsea’s non-international players to travel overseas with a rehabilitation coach and follow an injury-specific training plan. On his return to training he signed a new contract until 2034, played 88 minutes and provided an assist in a 5-1 win over Bournemouth, and has started every subsequent match apart from the EFL Cup penalty shootout defeat by Liverpool when he was ruled out by suspension. That suspension followed a red card after two yellow cards in nine minutes during the home league defeat by Tottenham. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Manchester United was his last appearance before Tuchel makes his selection; his penalty in that game took his season tally to five goals and three assists in 11 matches. On his England absences Alonso said: "He's committed but he needs to be fully fit to play and when he's fully fit he will enjoy his minutes. "We need him in that moment, [both] the club and the national team."
If Palmer is not selected, his recent lack of availability is expected to be a major factor in the decision, and Palmer, Foden and Gibbs-White will all be eyeing the squad place currently held by Eze when England’s selection is announced on Friday at 11:00 GMT.