Cole Palmer has only played twice for England in the last year.
Cole Palmer’s withdrawal from the England squad is not the ideal response to Thomas Tuchel’s challenge, but Chelsea must protect their ace.
Palmer was left out of the England squad for the 2026 World Cup last summer, after missing several international breaks due to injuries last season.
The attacking midfielder’s fine start to the season at Chelsea left Tuchel with very few options but to give Palmer another call-up.
Tuchel argued that Palmer would have the chance to prove himself amid fierce competition for the number 10 spot for the Three Lions.
“They had a good start to the season,” Tuchel said earlier this month about recalling Palmer and Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“Cole has his starts that he always had, but he has his numbers back - he has his assists back, he has decisive goals back - so that is why he is in the squad.
“I think he has a point to prove, and the same goes for Trent.”
Another England absence for Palmer
Unfortunately, Palmer is one of the five England players to have withdrawn from the latest squad. In Palmer’s case, his withdrawal has been attributed to a minor muscle injury.
This means Palmer will miss England’s next four Nations League fixtures against Spain, Czechia (twice), and Croatia.
Obviously, the timing of the injury is unfortunate, and Chelsea have rightly decided not to risk such an important player. However, it is easy to see how this may hurt Palmer’s chances with England.
As mentioned, the competition for attacking midfield spots is fierce. Fellow Blue Morgan Rogers is not even a guaranteed starter, with Jude Bellingham and Morgan Gibbs-White vying for the same spots.
Two more international breaks remain, in November and March, before the Nations League finals in June next year. However, unlike this extended international break, in which national teams will play four games in a three-week period, the next two are in the usual format, with two games each.
Similarly, Levi Colwill is in a difficult position with the national team. In his case, however, Tuchel himself decided to leave him out of the latest England squad.
Colwill missed the World Cup after a long-term cruciate ligament injury last season, and for this international break, Tuchel chose to give Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite a spot instead.
“He is very close. I have a very clear picture of what Levi can give to his team and to us, and about his strengths,” Tuchel said when asked about Colwill’s omission.
“I wanted to give Jarrad the chance. He was injured several times when we had the chance to call him up.”
Reece James will also miss international duty due to an injury, but he is very likely to return to the national team when fit, as he is arguably England's best right-back. That said, it remains to be seen whether his shift to midfield under Xabi Alonso at Chelsea will affect him in the long term.
Alonso rarely uses a traditional right full-back, preferring a 3-4-2-1 formation, so James will likely continue to play in midfield unless Chelsea makes a tactical change.
