Xabi Alonso has said Cole Palmer is committed to playing for England and revealed Chelsea’s No 10 missed this international break with a problem related to the groin injury that kept him out for much of last season. Thomas Tuchel did not hide his disappointment with Palmer, who is fit to face Bournemouth on Saturday, after the attacker made himself unavailable for the start of his country’s Nations League campaign last month. Tuchel said the 24-year-old “misses too many opportunities” to play for England and questioned whether Palmer wanted to be part of the squad.
Palmer has won five caps since scoring against Spain in the Euro 2024 final but his latest withdrawal was for genuine reasons. Palmer struggled with persistent groin pain last season, which led to him missing out on a place in Tuchel’s World Cup squad, and felt minor irritation before Chelsea’s defeat by Brentford last month. It still needs careful management, and Alonso is adamant Chelsea’s talisman is intent on playing for England.
He’s committed but he needs to be fully fit to play. We need him – the club and the national team.” The recent issue is nowhere as near as bad as when Palmer struggled to shoot properly last season. Resting during the extended break has helped.
We use the first two weeks for him to recover. It’s a little bit from the pubalgia he had.” Tuchel has plenty of competition in attacking midfield and it remains to be seen whether he picks Palmer for next month’s games against Croatia and Spain. Alonso was asked whether a player can be considered truly world class if they do not play international football.
Palmer has been in fine form for Chelsea this season, scoring four goals. They will need him at his best after three league games without a win. Alonso hopes that Reece James, Moisés Caicedo and Marco Palestra will also return from injury against Bournemouth.
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