Cole Palmer made a really positive impact after replacing England teammate Bukayo Saka during the second-half of Tuesday’s match against Slovenia. Could we see the Chelsea star replace his Arsenal counterpart in the England XI, though?
England boss Garth Southgate has deployed the same front four in each of the nation’s three Euro 2024 games so far. Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden have started on the wings, while Jude Bellingham is in the No 10 and captain Harry Kane leads the line as the central striker. Unfortunately, the high-profile quartet struggled to impress for most of the group stages.
Cole Palmer, 22, has just definitely raised his arm up and made a case to break into the starting line-up. The Chelsea attacker looked extremely lively in his 20 minute performance versus Slovenia.
Alan Shearer debates England’s RW position
Despite being one of England’s best players from the last couple of years, Saka is yet to properly ignite his form in this Euros tournament. Of course, there’s still time for the 22-year-old Arsenal star to shine.
But with the way that Palmer impressed against Slovenia, surely Saka’s starting position is under threat for England’s last-16 tie this Sunday.
Alan Shearer really liked what he saw from Chelsea’s Palmer last night. In fact, he even admitted that he would consider starting him over Saka in England’s upcoming knockout match.
Shearer said on The Rest Is Football: “The changes he made, albeit I think he made them far too late, in terms of Palmer and Gordon. That was an improvement, which has to give him something seriously to think about. Whether it’s he actually leaves Saka out and plays Palmer…
When asked if he’d drop Saka for Palmer, Shearer responded: “Possibly, yeah. I think Palmer did really well when he came on. I love Saka as a footballer… He did amazingly well for the first 30 minutes of the first game, but he hasn’t done a lot since. And Palmer coming on in 20 minutes did really well. He put a couple of good balls in. And I love his attitude. I love his arrogance. I love all that about him.”
Should England drop Bukayo Saka for Cole Palmer on Sunday?
England look pretty toothless and uninspiring as an attacking unit right now, so Palmer should come into the starting team this weekend for the last-16 game. Whether that’s at the expense of Saka, is a difficult one to work out.
Chelsea’s talisman will influence matches as a right-winger or No 10. Let’s find room for him in the XI to inject some extra creativity and goal threat.
If Palmer has to sit on the bench after the stunning season he had for Chelsea last year, then others shouldn’t be immune to the same treatment.