Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold Return for England With Points to Prove

England manager Thomas Tuchel has challenged Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold to force his hand and use their recall to the national team squad to remind him exactly why they cannot be left out in future.

Amid disappointing showings at club level for Chelsea and Real Madrid, respectively, Palmer and Alexander-Arnold were among the biggest omissions from Tuchel’s England roster for this summer’s World Cup, where the Three Lions fell to Argentina in the semifinals.

Now ready to start a new cycle, Tuchel has opted to bring both Palmer and Alexander-Arnold back to the England setup, offering both a platform to prove themselves at national level once again.

“They had a good start to the season,” Tuchel admitted. “They never did something wrong, we just chose different players. Now is a new competition.

“Cole has his numbers back. Assists, decisive goals. I think he has a point to prove. The same goes for Trent. He was never non-selectable. Now is his chance to show, to come to camp and be the best version of himself. He comes as a right back for us.

“He needs to perform; it's a competition. He was not with us at the World Cup; we trusted other players, and I stick with that decision.

“It’s now time to fight for his place. He always said he’s up for the fight. It’s now up to him to prove. We have a long camp and I’m sure he'll show up.”

Palmer’s Resurgence Impossible to Ignore

Cole Palmer — Palmer is flying at Chelsea. | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

When Palmer came off the bench to score in the final of Euro 2024, there were many fans asking why former boss Gareth Southgate had waited so long to use him.

That sort of support from the England faithful was not there as Tuchel prepared his squad for this summer’s World Cup. While everyone knew what Palmer was capable of, the reality is he had not shown it for months as the lingering impact of an early groin injury tooks its toll on his season.

Indeed, as Palmer said recently in response to his downgraded rating on EA FC 27: “I had one leg for 10 months, f---ing hell.”

Missing out on a spot at the World Cup gave Palmer some much-needed time off. The charismatic attacking midfielder spent months resting and relaxing, and the impact of that has been clear at the start of the current campaign.

Playing with his old swagger and taking the sort of risks shown back in 2022–23, Palmer has started the Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea with four goals and two assists in six appearances across all competitions. Tuchel simply could not overlook that output and has handed Palmer a well-earned chance to reignite his England career.

Alexander-Arnold Facing Fight at Both Club and International Level

Trent Alexander-Arnold — Alexander-Arnold needs to take this chance. | Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid/Getty Images

While Palmer is flying high, Alexander-Arnold’s situation differs significantly.

Tuchel has long highlighted concerns over Alexander-Arnold’s defensive qualities—criticism that is by no means new for the former Liverpool right back—and those issues appeared to be shared by new Madrid boss José Mourinho. The arrival of Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan during the summer concluded a search for something different.

Of his five appearances this season, Alexander-Arnold has started just three, with two games seeing him left unused on the bench. One of those starts came as an emergency midfielder in the Champions League against Dumfries’s former employers. As Tuchel stressed, the chance to play in the heart of the pitch will not be afforded to Alexander-Arnold at international level.

Alexander-Arnold’s on-field qualities are obvious. What he brings to the right back position is incredibly unique and valuable, but he finds himself working under two managers who simply do not care. As a defender, Alexander-Arnold’s first job is to defend. If he cannot do that reliably, he is replaceable.

He is one of two natural right backs in the England squad, alongside Tino Livramento, so minutes are almost certain to be plentiful across Nations League meetings with Spain, Croatia and a Czechia double-header.

“It’s a chance for him to claim what he feels is his, his place on the right side,” Tuchel concluded. “Here we go.”

Add us as a preferred source on Google