Xabi Alonso Keeps Cole Palmer Focused on Chelsea After England Snub
Cole Palmer’s England story has stalled again, but Xabi Alonso is refusing to let it become Chelsea’s problem.
The playmaker was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest Three Lions squad on Friday morning, omitted from the Nations League games against Croatia and Spain. It is the second major setback of the year for Palmer at international level, after he missed the World Cup in the summer and has not featured for England since the March camp.
This time, the decision came after medical checks. Palmer had originally been named in the autumn squad but withdrew with what was described as a minor injury. Tuchel and his staff assessed him again before this window and chose to look elsewhere.
If there is frustration, it is not being aired at Cobham.
Asked on Friday whether he had spoken to Palmer about the snub, Alonso’s answer was blunt.
No, we have not spoken about that,” the Chelsea manager said.
There was no hint of a rebuke, though. Alonso quickly moved the conversation back to club matters and the player’s contribution in blue.
“We are very happy with Cole. He is connecting very well with the other attackers and is helping the team.”
The message was clear: England can wait; Chelsea comes first.
Tuchel, for his part, has doubled down on his reasoning. The England boss has long admired Palmer’s talent but continues to question his impact when chances arise.
Everyone is desperate to play for England, and Cole is no exception,” Tuchel said. “But, again, what I said last time: he misses too many opportunities to impress. Two-and-a-half weeks was a long time [to miss]. The door is always open, but nothing has changed, and we decided [to go] without him.
That phrase — “misses too many opportunities to impress” — now hangs over Palmer’s international prospects. He is trusted at Chelsea, central to Alonso’s attacking plans, yet still on the fringes for his country.
The situation raises an obvious tension for any club manager: protect the player, or push him towards the national team at all costs? Alonso made his stance plain. He will not stand in anyone’s way, but he will not sacrifice their fitness for a cap either.
No. I never tell,” the Spaniard said when asked if he would advise players to skip international duty. “When a player is fully fit, he’s selectable. When he’s not fit, we try to give the national team reasonable information to decide together.
Sometimes it’s not good for the player.
Alonso knows that rhythm and confidence can be built in the quieter moments as well as on the international stage. For Palmer, those quieter moments now come at Chelsea, where every performance strengthens his argument and tests Tuchel’s resolve.
The door, as the England manager insists, remains open. The question is how long Palmer is willing to keep knocking.
