Jamie Carragher has urged England boss Thomas Tuchel to make Cole Palmer central to his plans for the national team.
Tuchel is set to start work on January 1st and has one of the most talented squads on the international stage to choose from.
Palmer has been nothing short of a revelation since he joined Chelsea from Manchester City in a deal worth £42.5m in the summer of 2023.
Carragher urges Tuchel to build around Palmer
Following his breakthrough campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, Palmer has now established himself in the England set-up after making his debut against Malta in November 2023.
Whilst he’s shone for Chelsea and established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League, it’s been more hard going on the international stage.
Palmer was under utilised by Gareth Southgate at Euro 204 and didn’t start a single game at the tournament, despite consistently making an impact from the bench, including scoring the equaliser in the final.
It feels like a new era for England under Tuchel and it’s a chance for Palmer to establish himself in the team, whilst Carragher has urged the German to build the national side around the 22-year-old and Jude Bellingham.
“England are about to enter the era of Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer,” he wrote in The Telegraph.
“Palmer has overtaken Phil Foden in the England reckoning. He must be in the starting XI, and the World Cup qualifiers are the perfect opportunity for Tuchel to build a team around these two amazing young players.”
Tuchel has already raved about Palmer and it will be interesting to see how he decides to use the attacker and how he fits in all the attacking talent at his disposal.
England will be targeting success at the 2026 World Cup, and Palmer will be looking to add to his 11 caps for the Three Lions and become a staple in the team through the qualifying process and beyond.
