After a fantastic debut season and an excellent sophomore effort, Cole Palmer’s third season in Chelsea Blue was a bit of a disaster. Injuries hit, form dropped, and he never could quite reach the heady heights that we’ve come to expect from him. Though he still hit double-digits in goals, he was less “Cold” Palmer and more “Lukewarm” Palmer, at best.
With Palmer struggling, Chelsea struggled as well. And that personal and collective disappointment was crowned by a (slightly) unexpected snub by Thomas
Tuchel with the final squad selection for the 2026 World Cup. Palmer was among several high-profile absentees, including Phil Foden and Harry Maguire, but perhaps the one who could’ve been included still just for his ability to win games by himself with moments of magic. England lack for such players beyond just Harry Kane, as we’ve seen through their occasional struggles through the group stage and for much of their Round of 32 struggle against D.R. Congo. Kane’s late brace saved their blushes, but it did bring back into focus their lack of options up front to change things up.
All that aside — and good luck to Thomas Tuchel & Co, of course — for Palmer, the snub has added a bit more motivation for next season. He will be looking to return to form, just as Chelsea will be looking to return to Europe, and to relevance in general, under new manager Xabi Alonso.
“Of course I [would have liked to be there]. Every player that plays football wants to be at the World Cup, but it’s a decision that I cannot change and a hard one, for whatever reason. But I’m just trying to enjoy the summer off — the first summer I’ve ever had off. […] I know what I could have offered, you know — something different to what the manager has picked. But like I said before, I can’t change the decision and I wish everyone all the best.
“Naturally. It’s like anything: if you’re told you’re, essentially, not good enough then you’re going to want to prove people wrong. So yeah, I guess so.”
“So yeah, I guess so”? That’s Cole Palmer-speak for “The Premier League should be very afraid”.
