Tuchel on Cole Palmer: "He is missing too many chances to impress"

England head coach Thomas Tuchel says Cole Palmer is "wasting too many opportunities" to secure a permanent place in the squad and make his mark.

Tuchel announced his squad ahead of the Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain.

Chelsea's star forward Palmer has once again been left out of the national side, following the World Cup squad and the first four matches of the 2026-27 Nations League. Palmer, who has not played for his country since the 1-0 friendly defeat to Japan in March, has come off the bench in 8 of his 14 senior appearances.

Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham and Fulham's Josh King received their first international call-ups, while Jude Bellingham, Rio Ngumoha, Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze and Palmer's Chelsea team-mate Morgan Rogers were among Tuchel's attacking options.

Phil Foden was also overlooked once more, with Tuchel of the view that the 24-year-old Palmer in particular has not made the most of the opportunities that have come his way.

"We have enough number 10s and we are sticking with those players because we were happy with the two and a half weeks in the last camp. Josh King is a new name, but I want to see him on both wings. He is a versatile player who can play in all four attacking positions. Everyone is desperate to wear the England shirt, and Cole is no exception. We are talking about a player who is not in the camp right now. What matters is your performance in camp and, as I have said before, he is missing too many chances to show himself. This is absolutely not personal. Of course we do not doubt Cole's desire to play for the national team, but there is serious competition and the players in the camp have done a great job to keep their places," Tuchel said.

England host Croatia on 12 November before travelling to Spain three days later. The Three Lions will secure their place in the quarter-finals if they take a point from the first match.

Harry Kane, should he take to the pitch, will win his 126th cap and overtake Peter Shilton to become the most capped player in England's history outright. Tuchel had this to say about the historic milestone for Kane, who recently became the first English footballer to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen (2001):

"It is an incredible achievement to have these two special moments back to back and to be able to witness them. He deserved to win the Ballon d'Or and now he will break the all-time record with 126 matches in his next game. It is a very important match for us; a crucial turning point before the trip to Spain. It will be a thoroughly deserved opportunity to celebrate an extraordinary player."