Cole Palmer breaks silence on Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup snub and under-par Chelsea season - 'I'm not crying'
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Published 25/06/2026 at 21:25 GMT+1
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Cole Palmer appears unfazed about his surprise omission from Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting he is "not crying" over the decision to leave him on the other side of the Atlantic.
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Palmer, alongside fellow seasoned internationals Phil Foden, Harry Maguire and Trent Alexander-Arnold, fell short of Tuchel's bar for inclusion.
The snub followed an under-par season by Palmer's standards, both on an individual level - the 24-year-old provided just one assist in an injury-hit Premier League campaign - and on a team level, as Chelsea concluded the term in 10th.
Nonetheless, eyebrows were raised by his omission, with TNT Sports expert Martin Keown arguing he would have found room for the "maverick" on his hypothetical shortlist.
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"I understand the rationale, and he [Tuchel] explained himself well," said Keown. "But the World Cup for me is all about that maverick player, isn't it? Like Pele back in the day, you saw [Johan] Cruyff in those early days, and then you saw [Lionel] Messi, Ronaldo.
"Palmer not being involved for me, I'd have had to find room for Palmer to be in the group. I get that he hasn't had a great season.
"It is firm leadership. This is my team. This is what I want."
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Palmer admitted that his and Chelsea's season was not "the best", but was philosophical regarding coming to terms with the knock back.
”This season hasn’t been the best, but it is what it is. I’m not crying over a decision you can’t change, and I hope the lads make it all the way.” Palmer told i-D.
”I don’t get too down. I just talk to my friends outside of football. They’re normal people, so it helps me feel normal, feel grounded.”
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Without international football taking up his time, Palmer is looking ahead to a laid-back summer, in between watching England's matches if he is "not doing anything".
”I’m going to relax this summer, rest for the first time in three or four years, before getting back to what I love,” said Palmer.
”If I’m not doing anything, then I’ll watch the matches, yeah."
In the lead up to the World Cup, Palmer featured in Sure and Nike adverts, proving it was not just pundits and supporters who expected the midfielder to be picked.
Palmer's off-field marketability is testament to his performances on the pitch, but has also led to added scrutiny from the media.
But amidst the clamour, the Englishman is trying to stay cool-headed.
He said: ”Football is just a game of finding the moments. You can do something one game and not the next, and they’ll be on you. That’s how it works. I just try to not pay attention to the outside noise and just do what I do.
”I just think it’s funny because people always say to me, ‘He’s so funny, he’s so this.' But it’s just normal; I’m just doing normal things.”
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