Is there a justification for Cole Palmer’s England World Cup absence?

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Thomas Tuchel’s explanation for not taking Cole Palmer to the World Cup was brutal in its honesty.

The England manager’s logic was undeniable.

Without context, leaving out the highest-ranked Englishman in last year’s Ballon d’Or (Palmer finished eighth, Harry Kane was 13th) could be regarded as hugely controversial. But the Chelsea forward did not play like one of the world’s best for the majority of the 2025-26 season and England’s alternative No 10 options are too strong for that to be overlooked.

In a press conference last month, Tuchel explained that not only had the 24-year-old lacked form for his club, but neither was he influential when representing England, citing “outstanding players” Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze as better options in that position.

“His record with us was just not outstanding, not good enough to make him ‘no matter what, he is coming’,” the German explained. “That is just the reality of it.

“It is a very difficult decision. There is no question about his talent, there is no question what he can give you in special moments, but the decision was still against him.”

Palmer’s production for Chelsea plummeted last season. He only just crept into double figures for Premier League goals (10) on the final day against Sunderland. Half of his season’s tally were penalties. He registered only one assist in the league, a surprisingly low return for an elite passer who generated 19 across his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge.

The underlying numbers were even more worrying. Palmer’s chances created per game fell from 2.5 in 2024-25 to 1.1 last season, while his crosses dropped from 4.1 to 1.7. As you can see in the two graphics below, he exerted a huge creative influence from his favoured spot in the right half-space in 2024-25…

… but barely made an impression anywhere in the final third last season.

In an interview with the Guardian in April, Palmer was candid about the physical reason for his struggles: a groin injury unlike anything he had experienced before, one without a clear recovery timeframe and which left him barely able to move against Manchester United away in September. When he returned to action as a substitute against Leeds United in December, he was, he said, incapable of sprinting, shooting or kicking the ball long.

If the groin is still an issue and surgery proves the wisest course of action, he has his first clear block in his schedule for three summers to receive treatment, having played at the European Under-21 Championship in 2023, the European Championship in 2024 and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025. He scored or assisted a goal in the final of all three tournaments.

“It’s very sad we’ve seen only a glimpse of Cole Palmer during this year,” Maheta Molango, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), said last month as part of broader comments criticising football’s schedule.

Palmer is far too good for this decline to persist, and his quality is only part of his strength.

He has all the hallmarks of the “mentality monster” that Chelsea’s incoming manager Xabi Alonso has signalled he wants in his team and has previously demonstrated that no stage or moment is too big for him. In recent years, no player has put two-time Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain to the sword as ruthlessly and brilliantly as Palmer did in last summer’s 3-0 win in the Club World Cup final.

But Alonso and Chelsea also have big roles to play in reviving his form. Enzo Maresca’s slow, heavily choreographed possession play rarely seemed to suit Palmer. His comment about being “sick of getting the ball and going backwards and sideways” in last year’s UEFA Conference League final chimed with what many had seen with their own eyes, even if all parties subsequently played down the significance of his words.

Back then he did at least have team-mates he connected with. Palmer created 22 chances in the Premier League for Noni Madueke in 2024-25 and 11 for Nicolas Jackson. Both players departed the following summer and Chelsea’s attacking chemistry went with them. Joao Pedro is yet to meaningfully click with Palmer, despite being an unequivocal upgrade up front, and there are no discernible signs of deep understanding with Pedro Neto or Alejandro Garnacho.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The central spaces in which Palmer likes to operate have also felt clogged at times, particularly when Marc Cucurella inverts from left-back. As a relevant aside, have Chelsea’s No 10 and Enzo Fernandez ever played their best football together for a significant stretch?

Chelsea’s summer transfer activity may simplify things. Fernandez and Cucurella could leave and Jackson could return, even if only as understudy to Joao Pedro. It is not yet clear whether Alonso will look to recreate the phenomenally successful system he used at Bayer Leverkusen or build this team differently. Still, freeing up Palmer to receive the ball in dangerous areas, as Florian Wirtz once did for the 2023-24 Bundesliga champions, will surely be high on his list of priorities.

Last summer, ahead of the Club World Cup final, Palmer and Ousmane Dembele recreated the famous “Lunch atop a Skyscraper” photo at the Rockefeller Center. The image established two of the world’s best footballers sitting high above not just New York, but the football world. Palmer went on to win the Club World Cup, while Dembele claimed the Ballon d’Or.

Dembele was then able to play just over 1,000 Ligue 1 minutes to conserve his legs for PSG’s successful defence of their Champions League title, and France’s tilt at the World Cup. Chelsea and Palmer had no such luxury, but a summer of enforced rest and recovery could be exactly what he needs to scale such heights again.