‘I Will Not Comment’: Tuchel Responds To Rogers' England & Chelsea Backing Of Palmer

England manager Thomas Tuchel has responded to Morgan Rogers’ comments about his Chelsea teammate, Cole Palmer.

Rogers scored England’s opening goal in a 2-1 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday evening. The 24-year-old’s contribution secured his country’s place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

While Harry Kane was recognised for his Ballon d’Or achievement and becoming England’s all-time appearance maker, questions continued to surround Tuchel’s decision to leave Palmer out of the squad.

The Chelsea midfielder hasn’t played for England since March 2026 and was completely overlooked for the recent World Cup that took place in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Palmer was also absent from all three squads towards the end of 2025 following a groin injury. Despite reports suggesting the Blues star was fully fit, the decision to omit him from the squad was ultimately down to Tuchel.

Rogers hit back at claims that Palmer isn’t committed to the national team on Thursday night. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “It’s a lie, he wants to be here. He wanted to get called up and he wanted to come and represent his country as he always has done.”

Tuchel, who won the 2021 UEFA Champions League with Chelsea before being sacked in September 2022, was asked during his post-match press conference whether he had heard Rogers’ comments about Palmer.

The 53-year-old responded by saying: “Totally fine. It’s his teammate and I guess his friend, so why wouldn’t he make an emotional statement? If he did it, I didn’t hear it, so I will not comment on it.”

Tuchel preferred to comment on the performance of Chelsea’s new £117 million record signing.

He continued: “All I can say is I was very happy with the emotional commitment from Morgan and the physical commitment of Morgan Rogers. I think he was a standout player today, offensively and defensively, and that’s what matters.”

As well as scoring the opening goal for the Three Lions, the Blues midfielder put in an impressive performance for his country. He created three chances and won seven duels, backing up his head coach’s claim that he was a standout player defensively.

Xabi Alonso will be hoping Rogers can continue his impressive form when he returns to club football. The west London side currently sit fifth in the Premier League after 10 matches, just two points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, and will be hoping his star man can continue to play a key role in the push for Champions League football next season.

Rogers currently has eight goals and five assists for both Chelsea and England, with very little being said so far about his price tag. This can only be seen as a positive, given that some players can crumble under the pressure of a huge transfer fee. Instead, Rogers appears to be thriving under it.

Whether the 24-year-old will earn a place in the Premier League Team of the Season remains to be seen. However, if he maintains his impressive form at Chelsea, his contributions could prove crucial in helping the Blues secure a strong finish in the league table.

Before joining up with Palmer and heading back to Stamford Bridge, Rogers will travel to Madrid to take on world champions Spain in the final game of the UEFA Nations League group stage. The quarter-finals take place in March 2027, and it remains to be seen whether Tuchel will make the call to Palmer once again.