Chelsea Round-Up, Friday 6th November: Cole Palmer's England Snub Dominates as Alonso Faces Sunderland Selection Dilemmas
The big talking point of the day surrounds Cole Palmer, who has been left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Croatia and Spain, despite Chelsea having told the Three Lions he was fully fit (The Sun) (Mirror) (Mirror). Tuchel explained the decision by saying Palmer "misses too many chances to impress" and insisted the call is not personal (BBC Sport) (BBC Sport). The England boss also revealed he didn't feel the need to speak to Palmer directly before making the decision (talkSPORT) (Sports Mole). Unsurprisingly, the snub has caused plenty of debate, with some fans left baffled, especially given Trent Alexander-Arnold's involvement has also raised eyebrows among Blues supporters (The Sun). Football.London even asked whether this latest omission could spell the end of Palmer's England career under Tuchel (Football.London).
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has given his own response to the situation, saying he is "very happy" with Palmer and praising his quality and attitude, while making clear he has no time to dwell on international call-up decisions (ESPN) (BBC Sport). Alonso also confirmed that he and Palmer "have not spoken" about the snub (Evening Standard) (Sports Mole). There is a silver lining, though - with Palmer staying in England, Football.London reports he will join four other Chelsea players for extra training during the break, giving Alonso something of a fitness boost (Football.London). Elsewhere on the international front, former Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has hit back at criticism of his time in the Premier League, insisting "I'm not a joke" (Football365).
Turning to the pitch, Chelsea's focus now shifts to Sunday's trip to the Stadium of Light to face bottom-of-the-table Sunderland, their last game before the international break (Evening Standard) (Sports Mole) (ESPN). There's encouraging news on the injury front as Emi Martinez has returned to training and could make a sensational comeback just three weeks after breaking his jaw, with Alonso set to use a final session to decide if he's ready to feature (Evening Standard) (The Sun). However, Alonso also flagged a fresh injury scare and gave updates on Moises Caicedo, who appears to be carrying what the manager described as "little problems" (Evening Standard) (Sports Mole) (Football.London) (Football.London). Joao Pedro remains sidelined too, with Alonso providing a timeline for his return in a separate three-man injury update (Evening Standard).
Selection intrigue continues over Estevao Willian, who impressed in the win over Manchester United but isn't guaranteed a start against Sunderland, according to Football.London (Football.London). Chelsea's official site has also confirmed the latest team news ahead of the game (ChelseaFC.com), while Sports Mole reckons Sunderland could make as many as seven changes, with Nordi Mukiele returning for the hosts (Sports Mole).
On the transfer front, Football.London reports Chelsea have made a decision regarding Jamie Gittens amid reported interest from four other Premier League clubs (TeamTalk). There are also claims from Football365 that the Blues could renew their interest in Liverpool transfer target Lamine Camara, even as they continue to be linked with Bournemouth's Alex Scott, whose owner Bill Foley says the club "haven't given up" on tying him to a new contract (Evening Standard) (Football365).
Finally, on the women's side, Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor has given an injury update on Lauren James and Lexi Potter (ChelseaFC.com).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
