Cole Palmer left out of England squad despite being passed fit

Cole Palmer has been omitted from Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, despite being declared fit by Chelsea, and the decision has sparked plenty of debate among Blues supporters.

The Evening Standard reports that England actually carried out medical checks with Chelsea on Palmer as Tuchel weighed up whether to include him (Evening Standard). The Sun confirms that despite those checks showing Palmer was "100 per cent fit", Tuchel still chose to leave him out, with the England boss explaining his reasoning (The Sun).

BBC Sport carries Tuchel's own explanation for the call, quoting him as saying Palmer "misses too many chances to impress" (BBC Sport), a line repeated in a separate BBC Sport piece that adds Tuchel insisted "it's not personal" towards the Chelsea forward (BBC Sport). Football.London has picked up on the decision too, asking whether this snub could even signal the end of Palmer's England career under Tuchel given he was fit and available (Football.London).

There's also been a reaction angle from The Sun, who note that Chelsea fans have been left "baffled" not just by Palmer's omission but also by the snub of a second Chelsea player, Trent, with supporters quoted as saying Tuchel "is not serious" (The Sun). That suggests this goes beyond one isolated decision and has touched a nerve among the Chelsea fanbase watching how their players are treated by the national team setup.

There is a silver lining for Chelsea in all this, though. Football.London reports that Palmer, along with four other Chelsea players, will benefit from extra training time over the international break as a result of staying at the club, which represents a handy boost for Enzo Maresca ahead of the games to come (Football.London). Missing out on Nations League duty means a rest period for Palmer rather than a long trip away with the Three Lions.

For Chelsea fans, the overriding feeling will be that their main man is being overlooked by his country despite being fully fit, but there's at least some compensation in having him available for extra work on the training pitch rather than away on international duty. With Chelsea Women facing Everton at home on Saturday and the first team heading to Sunderland the following day, having Palmer sharp and well-rested could prove valuable sooner rather than later.

Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.