Former Arsenal star Paul Merson has weighed in on the surprise omission of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer from England’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Three Lions’ manager Thomas Tuchel recently announced the final roster, leaving out Palmer along with Phil Foden and Harry Maguire.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Merson pointed to a key factor behind Palmer’s exclusion. He argued that the striker Nicolas Jackson’s loan move to Bayern Munich last season disrupted the on-field chemistry that benefited Palmer. “I said it before, Palmer made Jackson and Jackson made Palmer,” Merson explained. “Palmer’s not on that plane to the World Cup because Jackson’s not been there.”
Merson’s analysis highlights the interdependence between the two Chelsea players, suggesting that without Jackson’s presence, Palmer’s form dipped, costing him a spot in Tuchel’s World Cup plans.