Tuchel Sidelines Fit Cole Palmer for Missing Camps as Jobe Bellingham Earns First England Call

Thomas Tuchel drew a hard line on Friday: Cole Palmer was fit enough for England’s Nations League double-header, yet the Chelsea forward is not in the 25-man squad. After medical checks with Chelsea on Thursday confirmed Palmer was fully fit and ready for Croatia and Spain, the England manager still left him out — framing the call as a message about who shows up in camp.

The contrast is deliberate. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham and Fulham’s Josh King received their first senior England call-ups for the Group A3 fixtures against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, Nov. 12, and Spain in Madrid on Sunday, Nov. 15. England sit second behind Spain with three wins and a loss; one more point from the two games would lock a place in the March quarterfinals.

Palmer, 24, withdrew from the previous autumn camp with a minor fitness issue and was overlooked for last summer’s World Cup after a stop-start club season. He has five goals and three assists in 11 appearances this season, including a penalty in Chelsea’s recent win over Manchester United. Fitness was not the barrier this time. Sky Sports News reported that England staff checked with Chelsea on Thursday and were told Palmer was available for a full part in the window. Tuchel selected elsewhere anyway.

Tuchel did not hide the reasoning. “I guess everyone is desperate to play for England, Cole is no exception,” he said. “It counts when you’re in camp. I said last time, he misses too many opportunities to impress. The players who were in camp built something extraordinary.”

He added that the decision was not personal: “We’ll never assume Cole isn’t in the mindset to come and play for his country but the competition is on and the players in the [last] camp did an amazing job.” On who he rewards, Tuchel was blunt: “It’s always the ones who are in camp, the ones who don’t withdraw, the ones who walk the talk, and come to camp and show it matters and put the quality in. That’s what we will always reward.”

Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo were also omitted. Tuchel said Mainoo, who withdrew from the last squad, has had a “difficult spell with his club,” while insisting the door remains open for younger players to overtake. He stuck with attacking options who were in the previous camp, saying England have enough No. 10s and were happy with the two and a half weeks they spent together.

Jobe Bellingham, 21, joins his brother Jude in the senior party. Both came through Birmingham City’s academy; Jobe moved to Dortmund from Sunderland in 2025 and has impressed as a regular starter. Tuchel said under-21 coach Lee Carsley had been “speaking very highly” of him “for a while,” noting that Jobe captains the under-21s, found his rhythm in Germany and is “now very influential.” If both brothers feature in the same XI, they would be the first England siblings to do so since Gary and Phil Neville.

The call also fills a midfield shortfall. Bournemouth’s Alex Scott is not ready after injury, and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly is suspended for Croatia after a yellow card, leaving England light in the middle for the Wembley date. “There’s an opportunity to join and learn in the first team,” Tuchel said of Jobe.

King, 19, arrives as a flexible attacker. Tuchel called him “a fantastic character” who “gives us a bit of flexibility,” wanting to see him on both wings and describing him as an extra player who can cover all four attacking positions. King has two Premier League goals and an assist this season and was part of England’s pre-World Cup training camp in the United States.

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United).

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Inter Milan), Ben White (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Josh King (Fulham), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Declan Rice (Arsenal).

Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea).

Verified injury and availability absences include Bukayo Saka (quadriceps, suffered against Bayern Munich; Arsenal expect weeks out), Alex Scott (injury), Marcus Rashford (hip) and Tino Livramento (knee). Trevoh Chalobah withdrew through injury. Manchester City left-back Nico O’Reilly was left out after being deemed “not 100 percent” by club coach Enzo Maresca. Noni Madueke was overlooked. Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa return after withdrawing from the last camp; Ben White is back for the first time since March; Djed Spence returns after injury.

Captain Kane, who recently signed a contract extension with Bayern Munich through 2029, equals Peter Shilton’s England men’s appearance record of 125 and could move clear if he features in this window.

Croatia at Wembley and Spain in Madrid close England’s Nations League group phase. The verified story from Friday is not a routine squad dump: Palmer was cleared by Chelsea and still omitted on Tuchel’s camp-attendance standard, while Jobe Bellingham and Josh King step into the senior fold as renewal pieces. The next answers arrive next week in London and Madrid.