Palmer out, Gibbs-White in for England squad

Cole Palmer is withdrawing from the England squad due to a minor injury, with Morgan Gibbs-White set to be called up as his replacement. The Chelsea midfielder reportedly sustained the injury after playing the full 90 minutes in his club's defeat to Brentford on September 19, 2026. His withdrawal opens the door for Nottingham Forest captain Gibbs-White, who was a notable omission from Thomas Tuchel's initial 27-man squad announced the previous week. Tuchel had explained his decision to leave out Gibbs-White by stating it "makes no sense to nominate three, four, five number 10s." The England manager acknowledged Gibbs-White's strong form but emphasized that performing for the national team is a separate requirement. "It is one thing to be nominated... but it's another thing to perform for England, and this also counts," Tuchel said. Following the initial squad announcement, Gibbs-White's partner, Britney De Villiers, publicly criticized the omission on social media. She highlighted statistics showing Gibbs-White is the only Premier League player to have created more than five chances in a single match this season.