Palmer has every right to feel angry at being left out
There is no better seat at a major tournament than one sat directly next to an underperforming England team, protected on all four sides from the slings and arrows. It is usually a type: creative, technical midfielder, the solution to a stodgy attack; a young player, bright-eyed and freshfaced; perceived X-factor.
There must always be one designated “clamour” player, the new national obsession who would absolutely, definitely, undoubtedly make everything better.
This is subliminal emotional self-preservation, because one simple answer is easier to process than multitudinal layered tweaks. Jadon Sancho in 2021, Jack Grealish in 2022, Cole Palmer in 2024. Memories flicker back to the qualifying campaigns or glamour friendlies, when our chosen one changed the game or made any of the mess we’re now in possible. Palmer is the opposite. England’s coaches have long been aware of the talent – he was picked for three different age-group teams before starring in the Under-21 Euros win last summer – but rarely before has a player bolted so far from the edge of England’s setup so quickly.
The rise since last August has been ludicrous. Before the start of 2023-24, Palmer (below) had started three Premier League matches – and two of those were dead rubbers after Manchester
City had confirmed a title win.
The move to Chelsea was widely mocked, remember, evidence of an unhinged club spending unhinged money on the final day of the transfer window just because they could, like the questionable sartorial choices you made in the post-Christmas sale with newly acquired vouchers.
Palmer became the second-most expensive uncapped Englishman in history after one competitive Premier League start. This wasn’t normal. Nothing has been normal since then either. In his first full domestic season, Palmer was the second highest Premier League goalscorer and provided the second most assists. Only two English players created more chances: Bukayo Saka and Morgan Gibbs-White. Chelsea were still a maelstrom; that prediction held. But Palmer rose above our adage about young players needing positive working environments. He became their leader. That is what fuels the urge that Palmer can make a difference. When a young sportsperson hits the ground running, we call for infinite liberty: “Just let them play” syndrome. Any roadblock risks stemming the progress and breaking the magic spell.
“You can see on social media what fans think,” Palmer said. “There’s loads of different teams people want to play, so it’s normal. It’s nice to see [people clamouring for me] but it’s not up to them, is it? “Last season went a lot better than I expected. Obviously I believed what I could do anyway, but I didn’t think I would go there and have that sort of impact that fast. Personally I think I am [ready to start] but it’s not up to me.” It does matter that Palmer or Anthony Gordon may be inconsistent and unpredictable because England have been drowning in their predictability. We are not asking nor expecting any replacement to be perfect. We are demanding that we cannot predict every pattern of attacking play and where it will fall down. But it’s not that simple, Palmer’s problem is one of position. He insists his best position is wide right (he studied Riyad Mahrez on YouTube before matches) .To start in this team, then, you must drop England’s Player of the Year for the past two seasons, Saka.
So it may not happen for Palmer in Germany. It is merely a question of timing, of England being blessed in certain areas and a team curated when he was barely even a Premier League player.
Still, he’s getting used to major tournament disappointment. His first England memory is of Frank Lampard’s ghost goal against Germany in 2010. His first World Cup was in Brazil; he went to stay with his grandfather who lives there, and by the time he arrived England had already been eliminated. Things can only get better from there.