Xabi Alonso has said Chelsea are focused on their own progress and are not concerned with Cole Palmer’s omission from the latest England squad.
Palmer was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man group for Nations League games against Croatia and Spain after withdrawing from England’s previous squad in October. Tuchel said on Friday that the midfielder had missed too many chances to make his case for selection.
Alonso said he had not discussed the decision with Palmer and was more interested in helping the 24-year-old improve his form at Chelsea.
“We haven’t talked about that,” the manager said. “We are focused on our things, on Chelsea things, how to do better, how he can become more and more influential in games. Those are our topics.
“We speak about Chelsea. We speak about us. We have enough on our plate. We have enough to focus on each weekend.”
Palmer missed England’s World Cup squad in the summer after a season affected by injuries and poor form. He was one of five players to withdraw from the October international squad, despite starting both Chelsea matches either side of the break.
Alonso also gave an update on Emiliano Martinez, who could return sooner than expected against Sunderland after surgery on a fractured jaw sustained in the win over Everton last month.
Emi. 🧤 https://t.co/tEdO7k7214
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 4, 2026
The Argentina goalkeeper has been training with a protective mask and could be available for Saturday’s match.
“On Saturday we have the last training session and we will decide,” Alonso said. “He’s training well. Emi has made a great effort to be back. He’s been ahead of the plans to be part of the team.”
Moises Caicedo will also face a fitness test before the match. Alonso said the midfielder’s latest discomfort was not a recurrence of his calf injury.
“After the last game he had a little problem,” he said. “We expect to check tomorrow. It’s a discomfort more than the calf.”
