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It is the second time Palmer has been called up for the national team and then withdrawn with a fitness problem since Tuchel took charge of England at the start of 2025.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.”
Palmer has played in two of eight England camps under Tuchel
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.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice misses out through injury
“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. This is normal.
“I just refuse to put too much into it. I refuse to believe it.”
Palmer ‘misses too many opportunities’
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Tuchel was ‘surprised’ players wouldn’t want to play for England and feels Palmer has missed too many opportunities
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. He misses too many opportunities.
“I don’t blame him for it, it’s just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries.
“I only want to rely on what I personally witness and see within my team. For that you have to be in camp. If you are not in camp there is a next level to impress that you cannot achieve because you can only do it with me on the pitch and with us on the pitch. It is a missed opportunity.”
Palmer played the full 90 minutes for Chelsea at Brentford on the Friday before the international break began. Asked what the specific injury issue is for Palmer, Tuchel rejected the suggestion this was a case of the forward’s workload being managed.
“He plays with discomfort and pain and cannot play on the highest level with discomfort and pain,” said Tuchel. “Chelsea informed us. That is my understanding. We’re not managing load.
“This is not an ‘international break’. It’s a competitive environment, where the players love to train and be together. That’s what we created. We will never compromise on that.
“We will never let this feeling creep in that the players don’t want to come [to England camps]. We focus on the guys who absolutely want to play for England.”
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Palmer got off to a flying start in the 2026-27 Premier League season
Analysis: Is Tuchel losing patience with Palmer?
Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol:
“It sounds like Thomas Tuchel is almost losing patience with Cole Palmer because for the past two years since Tuchel has been the England manager, Palmer has hardly ever featured for England, he always seems to be injured.
“But Palmer has started every game apart from one for Chelsea this season – and I’d put money on the fact he’ll be playing for Chelsea as soon as the international break is over.
“Tuchel basically said, ‘if you’re not here, you can’t impress me’ and it opens the door for someone else to impress the England manager.
“If you still want to impress Tuchel, you can still join up and take part in the England camp. There have been instances in the past, like Jude Bellingham – when he was going through a rocky spell in his relationship with Tuchel and he was injured – he still went joined up on international duty and that impressed Tuchel.
“So you have to ask why Palmer is not involved with England at all for the whole three weeks. Is his injury really that bad that it stops him playing or training, or showing his face at all?
“Palmer is also fighting to be the England No 10. England have also got Bellingham and Morgan Rogers so in Tuchel’s mind, he doesn’t feel that he needs Palmer that much because he has other options.
“Morgan Gibbs-White as well, who is going to have the opportunity to impress him over the next couple of weeks.”
Kane: Everyone proud to play for England
Palmer is one of five players to have withdrawn from the original squad named by Tuchel, with Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento also making way.
England captain Harry Kane was asked about those withdrawals and whether he was concerned players weren’t prioritising playing for their country enough at this stage of the season and international cycle after the World Cup.
“Everyone is extremely proud to be an England player,” he said.
“Everyone has their own individual circumstances, physical situations, mental situations. That’s down to the player and coach to talk and sort out.
“It’s going to be a bit of a gruelling schedule [playing four games in 11 days] but I look forward to those things.
“Ultimately it’s about what you do on the training pitch – and from the start of this week it’s been at the highest level.”
Follow England vs Spain on the Sky Sports website and App on Saturday; kick-off 7.45pm
England’s upcoming Nations League Group A3 fixtures
Saturday September 26: Spain (H), kick-off 7.45pm
Tuesday September 29: Czech Republic (A), kick-off 7.45pm
Saturday October 3: Croatia (A), kick-off 5pm
Tuesday October 6: Czech Republic (H), kick-off 7.45pm