Alonso urges Palmer to focus on Chelsea duties

In the shadow of Stamford Bridge, Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso publicly backed 24‑year‑old forward Cole Palmer after the England national team left him out of the squad, urging the player to concentrate solely on his club duties in a season that has seen his form questioned.

England manager Thomas Tuchel omitted Palmer from his squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain. The German coach had previously, in September, said Palmer had missed too many opportunities with the Three Lions after withdrawing through injury, a point he repeated in Friday’s squad announcement.

Palmer, also excluded from England’s World Cup squad, has had a mixed start to the campaign at Stamford Bridge. He has contributed five goals and three assists in eleven matches across all competitions, forming a productive attacking line with Morgan Rogers and João Pedro.

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The playmaker was sent off in a 2–0 loss to Tottenham last month and has not scored from open play in the Premier League since August. Palmer has earned just five caps for England since scoring in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s upcoming fixture, Alonso said he was very happy with Palmer’s quality, attitude and the impact on the rest of the team. He added that the club must focus each weekend and that he can only talk about Chelsea’s own matters. Alonso also urged Palmer to focus on playing good football and enjoy his time with Chelsea, noting that apart from the red‑card incident most issues relate to the game and how to improve.