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A must pick or unreliable? Tuchel's Palmer dilemma
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- A must pick or unreliable? Tuchel's Palmer dilemma
Has Cole Palmer done enough to warrant a spot in the England squad? [Getty Images]
Has Cole Palmer done enough to earn an England call-up for their November Nations League games against Croatia and Spain?
The 24-year-old Chelsea forward is regarded as one of the stars at Stamford Bridge, but his status with the Three Lions has been the subject of major debate, particularly since Thomas Tuchel's appointment as manager at the beginning of 2025.
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Palmer's withdrawal from the most recent extended three-week camp came after his omission from their World Cup squad, prompting Tuchel to say he "misses too many opportunities to play for England" .
Yet there is an argument Palmer has done enough to earn an England recall with his start to this campaign - despite Tuchel's obvious reservations.
Having scored five goals and provided three assists in all competitions, only his Chelsea team-mate Morgan Rogers has had more goal involvements during the opening months of the campaign - when looking at players he is in competition with for England.
It must be noted, though, that penalties do inflate Palmer's total more than that of some of those rivals for a Three Lions spot.
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When spot-kicks are excluded, he has been outscored by all of the alternatives for England's number 10 role since the beginning of last season. He has also been outscored in open play by Rogers and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham this season.
In addition, Manchester City's Phil Foden, who - along with Palmer - was also left out of the World Cup squad, has the same number of goal involvements (eight) this season, although half of those came against AEK Athens in the Champions League.
Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White has also created just as many chances (2.6 per game), although they are not being converted by his team-mates.
While Gibbs-White has underperformed his expected goals this season, he has outscored Palmer since the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign and also replaced him in Tuchel's most recent squad.
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Palmer compared favourably with Arsenal's Eberechi Eze, who, along with Bellingham and Rogers, was selected ahead of the Chelsea attacker for the World Cup , where England took the bronze medal after losing to Argentina in the semi-finals.
Yet Palmer has struggled to make an impact under Tuchel, making just three appearances, including two starts, without scoring or providing an assist.
Bellingham, meanwhile, was named the national team's player of the year for 2026 after scoring seven goals and providing one assist during an outstanding World Cup campaign over the summer.
In terms of Palmer's direct rivals, Bellingham leads the way with eight goals and six assists during Tuchel's nearly two years in charge, while Rogers is second with three goals and three assists.
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In third is Eze, who has scored three times and had one assist under Tuchel's tenure.
But Palmer, Foden and Gibbs-White will all be eyeing Eze's spot when the squad is announced on Friday (11:00 GMT).
The story of Palmer and Tuchel
Palmer missed Tuchel's first camp with a hamstring injury in March 2025, but went on to play 90 minutes in Chelsea's first Premier League match after that international break.
He then featured in the June fixtures, playing in a 1-0 win away to Andorra before being an unused substitute in a friendly defeat by Senegal.
During the September, October and November international breaks that followed, Palmer was managing a recurring groin problem, which severely limited his club appearances during the early part of last season.
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He last featured for England in March, coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute of a 1-1 draw with Uruguay before starting against Japan, where he lasted only 59 minutes in a 1-0 home defeat.
Palmer then withdrew from the most recent international break, with Gibbs-White replacing him, after saying he had played for Chelsea with "discomfort and pain" before the call-up.
Boss Xabi Alonso has since said the attacker was "struggling" in the 3-0 loss by Brentford before the international break.
Palmer then went on an overseas holiday during a nine-day break for Chelsea's non-international players.
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He took a rehabilitation coach with him and underwent an injury-specific training plan to recover.
Returning to training with Chelsea after the period of rest, Palmer signed a new contract until 2034 at Stamford Bridge .
He then played 88 minutes and provided an assist in a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth.
He has since started all of Chelsea's subsequent matches, apart from their EFL Cup penalty shootout defeat by Liverpool last week when he was ruled out by suspension. This followed his dismissal after receiving two yellow cards in the space of nine minutes during the home league defeat by Tottenham just over a week earlier.
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Saturday's 2-0 win over Manchester United was his last appearance before Tuchel picks his squad on Friday, with his penalty taking his tally to five goals and three assists in 11 matches.
Chelsea manager Alonso, said of Palmer's absences from England duty: "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."
Tuchel has, however, expressed frustration over the player and said he "misses too many opportunities" to play for England.
If Palmer is not selected, his lack of availability will likely be a major factor in the decision.
