Xabi Alonso provides response when asked about Chelsea star Cole Palmer's snub from England squad
Xabi Alonso has said he has not spoken to Cole Palmer about his England snub and wants the Chelsea forward focused on his club form.
Xabi Alonso has said he has not spoken to Cole Palmer about his England snub and wants the Chelsea forward focused on his club form. The question came at his pre-match press conference on Friday (November 6), before Sunday's trip to Sunderland.
Thomas Tuchel left the 24-year-old out of his 26-man squad for next week's Nations League games against Croatia and Spain, despite Chelsea telling the England setup he was fit and available. Palmer has started all nine of the club's Premier League matches, with five goals and three assists in 11 outings.
Asked whether he had spoken to Palmer about it, Alonso said:
“No, we have not spoken about that. We have been talking about our game on Sunday. We are very happy with Cole; I think that he's enjoying his game. He's connecting very well with the other attackers. He's helping the team. He's helping the team as well in developing and improving what we want and where we want to achieve, knowing that everything takes time, but I'm very happy with his quality, with his attitude, and the impact that he's having on the rest of the team.”
Tuchel, announcing the squad on Friday morning, repeated that Palmer “misses too many opportunities to impress”. He also said he had enough No. 10s with Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze, Jude Bellingham and Chelsea's Morgan Rogers selected.
Palmer was sent off in October's 2‑0 defeat at Tottenham and has not scored from open play in the league since August. Chelsea are fourth on 16 points, eight behind leaders Arsenal.
Chelsea star Cole Palmer's stats with the England national team
Palmer has 14 senior caps and two goals for England, a return that sits a long way short of his output for his club side. He scored a penalty in a friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024, then stepped off the bench in Berlin to score England's only goal in the 2‑1 final defeat to Spain that July.
Since that final, he has won five caps and scored no further goals, and he has not played for England since March 2026. He was left out of Tuchel's World Cup squad and has featured in only three of the 26 matches of the German's tenure. At Chelsea, the load has been far heavier, with nine Premier League starts already this season.
Up next for the Blues is Sunday's trip to bottom club Sunderland (November 8).
