Tuchel Leaves Out Fit Cole Palmer, 24, Saying “It’s Not Personal”

• Cole Palmer, 24, is out of England’s squad for the Nations League games with Croatia and Spain after Chelsea told England he is fit, per Sky Sports.
• Thomas Tuchel says the decision is not personal and that the trust belongs to the players who were in camp last time.
• Under Tuchel, Palmer has been unavailable through injury three times and has withdrawn from two more squads.

Fit, in form and still outside Tuchel’s England squad

Thomas Tuchel was asked on Friday why Cole Palmer is not in his England squad. The manager answered: “So it’s not personal and of course we will never assume that Cole is not in the mindset to come and desperate to play for his country, but the competition is on and the players who were in camp did an amazing job and kept their place.”

Palmer is 24, plays for Chelsea and has six goal involvements in nine Premier League games this season. England contacted Chelsea this week and were told he is fit. He is still out of the squad for Croatia at Wembley on 12 November and Spain in Madrid on 15 November.

Tuchel backs the group from the last camp

The omission is a selection call. England’s medical check with Chelsea is standard procedure and does not guarantee a call-up, but nothing about Palmer’s fitness stood in the way. Tuchel has chosen the players who were available and delivered in the previous international break, when England beat Croatia and Czech Republic twice and narrowly lost to world champions Spain.

“It’s enough No 10s and we stick with the guys who were in camp,” Tuchel said at the press conference. “The [last] camp was excellent and we were happy with the last two-and-a-half weeks we had together.”

“The impact of all the players was immense throughout the whole camp, that’s why we stick mainly with the group and all the offensive players.”

Jude Bellingham, Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers keep their places among the No 10 options. Josh King, 19, and Jobe Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund are in the squad too, both called up by England for the first time.

The “in camp” rule Tuchel keeps returning to

Palmer withdrew from the England squad in September with an injury, and Tuchel later said he misses too many opportunities to impress. On Friday the manager came back to the same point.

“I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception,” Tuchel said.

“We are speaking now about a player that is not in camp. It counts when you are in camp and I just said last time that he misses too many opportunities to impress.”

“It was a long camp, it was two and a half weeks and the players and the boys who were in camp built something extraordinary.”

“That’s why the credit goes to them, the trust is for them. If you are in camp, this is your chance to impress.”

He made the same case in wider terms. “It’s always the ones who are in camp, the ones who don’t withdraw,” Tuchel said. “The ones who walk the talk, and come to camp and show it matters and put the quality in. That’s what we will always reward.”

“It matters what you do in camp. The last camp was an excellent one, so the trust and belief is on the players who were there.”

Kobbie Mainoo, the Manchester United midfielder, also withdrew from the last camp and has been left out of this squad. Tuchel believes his approach with both players sends a clear message about the impact of withdrawing from an England camp. “I think it’s naturally coming through, without needing to talk about it. That was always the message since early when we took charge: it matters when you’re in camp.”

A record that keeps pulling Palmer back to the same line

The numbers give the manager his argument. Under Tuchel, Palmer has been unavailable for selection through injury three times and has withdrawn from a further two squads. Palmer’s missed England camps explain why the line has returned in November. He has 14 caps from his debut in 2023. Nine came in 2024, and he has played for England three times in the last two years.

Palmer is not the only attacker on the outside. Phil Foden is not in the squad either, and this week he said he has not really spoken to Tuchel after the World Cup left him at home. That lack of contact with Tuchel sits alongside Palmer’s case.

England face their final two Nations League A3 games this month, knowing a point against Croatia will seal a place in the quarter-finals. Palmer will not be part of either match. Asked whether he could find a way back, Tuchel said: “The door is always open. Nothing has changed. We decided to do this camp without him.”