Thomas Tuchel says Cole Palmer “misses too many opportunities to impress” after leaving the Chelsea forward out of England’s squad for the November Nations League fixtures.
Palmer, 24, was omitted from the previous squad in early autumn and will again miss the matches against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, 12 November and Spain in Madrid on Sunday, 15 November.
Tuchel has selected Fulham forward Josh King and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham for the first time. Both players can operate as attacking midfielders.
“We have enough number 10s and we stick to the guys who were in the previous camp because we were happy with the two and a half weeks we had together,” said Tuchel.
“We have Josh King as a new player in there, but I want to see him on both wings. He is kind of an extra player and he can play all four positions.
“I guess everyone is desperate to play for England and Cole is no exception.
“We are speaking now about a player that is not in camp. It counts when you are in camp and I just said last time that he misses too many opportunities to impress.”
Jobe Bellingham, 21, joins older brother Jude in the squad. They could become the first brothers to play in an England line-up since Gary and Phil Neville.
Both Bellinghams came through the Birmingham City academy and represented England at youth level. Jobe moved from Sunderland to Borussia Dortmund in summer 2025 for a deal worth up to £31m, after helping Sunderland win promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs.
Jude, 23, played for Dortmund from 2020 to 2023 before joining Real Madrid.
Tuchel said England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley had been “speaking very highly” of Jobe for “a while”.
“He is the captain of the under-21s so I think the door should always be open and the pathway should always be open for special performances over a long period of time and that is what Jobe has done,” he added.
“He found his way and his rhythm with Dortmund, where he has had an excellent start to the season. He is a regular starter there and now very influential.”
Jobe has been chosen ahead of Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who Tuchel said had endured a “difficult spell with his club” after withdrawing early from the previous squad.
“The door is always open for younger players to overtake and make their mark,” said Tuchel.
King, 19, has scored two goals and provided one assist in a strong start to the Premier League season. The Fulham academy graduate has represented England at every youth level and has scored once in nine appearances for the Under-21s.
Tuchel described him as “a fantastic character” who “gives us a bit of flexibility”.
“We decided to nominate 22 outfield players for flexibility in training and he is the extra player in training, if you will,” he added.
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is absent after suffering a quadriceps injury against Bayern Munich last month. Arsenal expect the 25-year-old to be out for six weeks.
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott also misses out with an injury sustained against Croatia in October. He could return against Ipswich on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento remain unavailable with hip and knee injuries respectively. Como’s Trevoh Chalobah, plus Manchester City pair Nico O’Reilly and Rico Lewis, were not selected.
James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White retain their places, while Ben White and Djed Spence return. Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa are fit after withdrawing from the previous squad.
England are second behind Spain in Nations League group A3, with three wins and one defeat. A point from the remaining two matches will secure a place in the two-legged quarter-finals in March, with the winners advancing to the Nations League Finals in June.
England squad
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).
