Alonso Says He Is “Very Happy” With Palmer, 24, After England Omission

• Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso says he is “very happy” with Cole Palmer’s quality, attitude and impact, per The Independent.
• Thomas Tuchel left the 24-year-old out of England’s 25-man squad for the Nations League games against Croatia and Spain.
• Alonso says he never tells a fit player to withdraw from international duty.

Chelsea’s Manager Backs His Attacker Before the Trip to Sunderland

Xabi Alonso has publicly backed Cole Palmer. Speaking on Friday, the Chelsea manager said: “We are very happy with Cole. I think he is enjoying his game, he is connecting very well with the other attackers. He is helping the team with developing and improving what we want to achieve, knowing that everything takes time but I am very happy with his quality, his attitude and the impact he is having on the rest of the team.” The answer came on the day Tuchel named an England squad without the 24-year-old, and ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Sunderland on Sunday.

What Tuchel Said When He Left Palmer Out

England’s head coach announced his squad for the November international break on Friday morning. Palmer is not in it. Fulham’s Josh King and Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham are, both called up for the first time.

Tuchel explained the call himself. “I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception. 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.”

He went on: “It was a long camp, it was two and a half weeks and the players and the boys who were in campo 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.”

“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.”

Tuchel also said he had enough No 10s for this round of fixtures. Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze, Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers are all in the squad. Palmer pulled out of the previous camp.

Tuchel criticised him then for missing “too many camps with injuries”.

Chelsea told the England set-up this time that Palmer was fit and available for selection.

Alonso on Regrets, Character and Withdrawals

Alonso was asked whether he had discussed Palmer’s ambitions of getting back into the England squad, or any regrets over the decision to pull out of the last camp. He said: “We haven’t spoken about that. We are focussed on our things, on Chelsea things and how to do better and how to help him and how he can become more and more influential on the game. Those are our topics to talk.”

“We speak about Chelsea. We have enough on our plate. My impact area is my control area and what we talk about.”

He also rejected the idea that the omission is a test of Palmer’s character. “He needs to focus on his thing – and his thing is to play good football and enjoy his game with us, with Chelsea.”

The manager was then asked whether he would ever tell a player to withdraw from international duty. His reply: “No, no, no. I never tell. Whenever a player is fully fit, is selectable.”

“If they are not fit, we try and give the national teams the reasonable information to decide together sometimes, because sometimes it is not for the player.”

A Strong Start for Chelsea and a Thin Record for England

Palmer has started each of Chelsea’s nine Premier League games this season. He has five goals and three assists in 11 games across all competitions, and he has built an attacking partnership with Rogers, who has made the England squad that Palmer has not.

His England record is short. Palmer has 14 caps, nine of them won in 2024, and he has played three times for his country in the last two years. He last played for England in March and missed out on the World Cup squad after struggling with injuries last season.

The two managers now hold public positions on the same player. Tuchel wants players in camp to earn their place. Alonso says a fit player is selectable and that, for one who is not fit, Chelsea try to give the national team the information it needs.

Chelsea face Sunderland on Sunday with Palmer on a run of nine league starts. England play Croatia and Spain next week without him, and Alonso has said his own focus stays on Chelsea.