Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
David Ornstein:
Fulham midfielder Josh King and Borussia Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham — the younger brother of Jude, who is also named — have received maiden call-ups for the Nations League games against Croatia and Spain.
Arsenal’s Ben White has also been selected for the first time since March, while team-mate Declan Rice is back in after missing the last camp due to injury.
Palmer has featured just three times for England in the last two years, with his most recent appearances coming in March’s friendly against Japan. He was not included in Tuchel’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
The attacking midfielder was called up to September’s squad but pulled out before joining the team and was replaced by Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. It was the second time that Palmer had withdrawn from a squad since Tuchel’s appointment and the sixth England camp he had missed since November 2024.
“He misses too many opportunities, and I don’t blame him for it, it’s just the fact,” Tuchel said on Palmer’s absence in September. “He misses way too many camps with injuries and I only want to rely on what I personally witness and what I see within my team. And for that you have to be in camp.”
Palmer has started all nine of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this season, contributing three goals and three assists.
King, 19, was part of England’s preparation camp in Florida before the 2026 World Cup. He was one of four players called up for the camp, alongside Ethan Nwaneri, Alex Scott and Rio Ngumoha, who were not included in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, but did not feature in the two friendlies ahead of the tournament and is yet to make his debut for the senior side.
The Fulham academy graduate has started all nine of his side’s Premier League fixtures this season, providing two goals and an assist.
England play Croatia at Wembley Stadium on November 12 before facing Spain at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid three days later, on November 15, both Nations League fixtures.
Tuchel’s side are second in their Nations League group after winning three of their opening four matches. An opening-day 3-2 defeat at home to Spain was followed by two wins against the Czech Republic and a seven-goal victory away to Croatia.
The group winner and runner-up will qualify for the Nations League quarter-final stage, which will be played between March 25-30 next year.
Friday’s squad announcement is Tuchel’s second since the World Cup final, where England reached the semi-final stage before being eliminated by Argentina.