Chelsea interim coach Calum McFarlane reacts after Cole Palmer was left out of England’s World Cup squad

Chelsea interim coach Calum McFarlane has reacted to Cole Palmer missing out on the England squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Thomas Tuchel announced his squad for the World Cup at Wembley on May 22. Palmer was expected to be included in the 26-man squad roster, but was omitted along with some other big names like Harry Maguire and Phil Foden.

Speaking ahead of their final game of the season against Sunderland, Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane was asked about Cole Palmer’s reaction to the omission from the England squad. He said (via Tribal Football):

“I don’t want to comment on that – it’s not got anything to do with me. The England manager has made a decision so it’s best to speak to him. We have full belief in Cole and we will be relying on him on Sunday.

“I think in life and in football, you need to take every setback as a positive. There’s going to be lots of them – moments like this. And if you have the right mindset, you can turn it into a positive.

“In terms of Cole and the England announcement, that was made at 10 am – we haven’t had time to speak or get a feel for the group. Training was really good. I’m sure we’ll have those conversations in the coming days and see how they are.”

Chelsea are currently on 52 points, one ahead of 7th place Brighton, a win over Sunderland at The Stadium of Light on May 24 will confirm their UEFA Europa League participation next season. The club have already appointed Xabi Alonso as the permanent manager, he will take over the reins of the club from July 2026.

Calum McFarlane speaks on his stint as Chelsea coach

Speaking in the same presser, spoke in detail about his experience as the first-team coach for Chelsea and also the team’s performance in their 2-1 win over Tottenham. He said:

“Great learning and experience. It’s a massive challenge. Really thankful to the club for the opportunity and really thankful for the players.

“We knew it would be a challenge physically and mentally. We pushed as hard as we could. We were good value for the 1-0 lead. We got the second goal and didn’t have much more push. That’s not how we want the game to look but two or three days after the final, you could see the effects from that game.”

“Stamford Bridge was brilliant – it’s probably the best atmosphere I’ve seen since being in the first team. It comes from us when we start games right. We didn’t do that in the Forest game. It helps so much for us.”