Thomas Tuchel is unsure how desperate Cole Palmer is to play for England. Palmer was a controversial omission from England's World Cup squad in the summer, with an injury-hit season impacting his form. After a summer off, it appeared Palmer was returning to a high level in the early weeks of this campaign, with six goal involvements in seven games for Chelsea.
That output earned him a recall to the England group for the Nations League matches with Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia - but Palmer withdrew from the squad due to injury. It is the second time Palmer has been called up for the national team and then withdrawn with a fitness problem since Tuchel took charge of England at the start of 2025. Palmer has also missed three England camps entirely with injury and wasn't selected for another.
Put to him that Palmer doesn't seem desperate to play for England, Tuchel responded: "It's hard to argue against what you're saying." Asked where that leaves England, Tuchel replied: "It leaves us with Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze. "All in camp, all desperate to be here, all available and all ready to go. Ready to stop a holiday after one day in Dubai [as was the case with Gibbs-White] and fly back." Tuchel added: "I can only judge him on what he [Palmer] is delivering for the national team and he's just missing too many opportunities.
"If Declan [Rice] calls me, and he explains to me, and I see against Brighton straight away that something is off that confirmed that impression, every case is different. "I know from Marcus [Rashford] and Kobbie [Mainoo] that they play with discomfort for their clubs. I know it looks strange if Kobbie and Marcus finish a game at the weekend for their clubs and then suddenly are not here, but okay - first of all, in doubt, we trust the players.
"I have no reason not to trust the players because they were with us in the US and they were fantastic. Tino Livramento also pulled out. "I just refuse to put too much into it.
I refuse to believe it." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Palmer has played three times for Tuchel, across two camps, and the England boss had said earlier that his lack of availability is a problem. "For sure it's a missed opportunity," Tuchel said. "It's another missed opportunity.
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