Cole Palmer set for Chelsea return against Bournemouth after England absence
Cole Palmer has returned to training and is expected to play a major role when Chelsea face Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
What we know
- Palmer stayed at Chelsea’s Cobham base during the latest three-week international break rather than joining England.
- England head coach Thomas Tuchel had questioned the midfielder’s record of missing international fixtures.
- Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said Palmer remains committed to England, but must be fully fit before he plays.
- Alonso said Palmer trained over the past week and has been feeling better after his recovery programme.
- The Chelsea boss pointed to Palmer’s performance against Brentford before the break as evidence that he should not be pushed through discomfort.
- Chelsea have five Premier League matches to play before the next international window.
Next step: Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge
Alonso has made clear that Chelsea will manage Palmer’s workload carefully, despite his importance to both club and country.
“He is committed, but he needs to be fully fit to play,” Alonso said. “When he is fully fit, he will enjoy his minutes. We need him in that moment, the club and the national team.”
He added that the club had no reason to hurry Palmer back: “He has trained the last week. He has felt better. We did not want to rush because we had enough time.”
Palmer is now in line to start or feature heavily against Bournemouth as Chelsea seek to return to winning ways. His availability gives Alonso a key creative option for the demanding league run ahead.
