Cole Palmer admitted he fell asleep at half-time of England's round-of-16 World Cup win over Mexico, having stayed up for the 2am UK kick-off, as he spoke openly about being left out of Thomas Tuchel's summer squad.
Speaking at the training ground of Sydney FC in Australia, where Chelsea are on a pre-season tour ahead of Saturday's match against Tottenham, the 24-year-old said being omitted gave him something to prove heading into the new season.
"If someone told you that you're essentially not good enough to get in the squad, then you're going to think, like, alright, whatever then, try to go that extra bit harder," he said.
England reached the semi-finals of the tournament without him before losing to Argentina. Palmer said he watched some of it while away on holiday, though the time difference in America made it difficult. "I watched some of it. Obviously I was away and the times were a bit mad in America. It was a bit difficult. But I did watch." He stayed up for England vs Mexico, he added, but fell asleep at half-time.
Despite the omission, Palmer said he is not currently focused on forcing his way back into the England squad. "I'm not really thinking about that now, to be honest. I'm just looking forward to the season with Chelsea."
New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso reached out to Palmer when the squad was announced. "When I got told I wasn't going to the World Cup, I think he knew, so he messaged me," Palmer said. "I can't remember what he said. I think he said don't worry about it or whatever. Normal stuff. It was nice. Him and his staff have been good, a breath of fresh air with his ideas."
The seven-week summer break was the longest Palmer has had in years. He had the Club World Cup in 2025, the Euros in 2024, and the Under 21 Euros in 2023. He spent time in Marbella with his family but eventually grew restless. "I got bored after like six weeks. I was sat in Marbella thinking, 'I want to go back in', and I never thought I'd think that!" He said he now feels fresh.
Palmer's previous season was disrupted by a groin injury that contributed to Chelsea finishing 10th in the Premier League and missing European football. He said he initially tried to push through the problem when he should not have. "I just wanted to go out and play. Which I probably shouldn't have done." He revealed for the first time that he travelled to Sweden or Denmark to see a specialist, where surgery was discussed, though he did not have the operation.
He goes into the new season alongside close friend Morgan Rogers, who joined from Aston Villa for £117 million, a deal Palmer described as a "next-level" buy. The pair came through the Manchester City academy together and share the "cold" celebration, which Palmer jokingly said he has trademarked.
"We've never actually spoke about it. He does it. I do it," Palmer said. "Nah, we'll do it together, I think."
Alonso has told Palmer he sees him in the No 10 role, close to the striker. "When you sign good players, obviously your team is going to be better," Palmer said. "It should be a good season."
