Gabriel Agbonlahor picks who England should start as the number 10… Cole Palmer or Jude Bellingham.
Gabriel Agbonlahor was left in awe of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer after his latest club performance at the weekend. Does he think he belongs in England’s starting line-up, though?
Cole Palmer, 22, ran riot last Saturday by scoring four goals in Chelsea’s 4-2 home win over Brighton in the Premier League.
Speaking via The Athletic after the game, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler admitted Chelsea’s Palmer can’t be stopped one-on-one. The Seagulls join a long list of clubs that have been ripped apart by the Blues talisman.
Palmer is now a household name after his success at Stamford Bridge in the last year, but he’s still trying to fully crack international football.
The left-footed playmaker did score a brilliant goal in the final of Euro 2024 during England’s defeat to Spain, but the fact that he failed to start a single match at the summer tournament is quite telling.
Chelsea’s in-form star was included in the Three Lions squad last month for the first camp under interim boss Lee Carsley. However, he pulled out of the England squad almost immediately due to fitness. We’re hopeful that things will be different in the imminent October international break.
Cole Palmer or Jude Bellingham
TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor is adamant that Chelsea’s Palmer should be starting for England in the number 10 position. He faces competition from the likes of Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham or Manchester City’s Phil Foden with England, but he’s outperforming both in the early stages of this season.
When discussing Palmer’s latest Chelsea display, Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: “This is the performance of the weekend. I think he’s England’s best option as the number 10 I’m going to throw that out there. In current form, he plays ahead of Bellingham and Foden… I think he’s an outstanding talent and definitely one that our country needs to start.”
If we we’re picking England’s best XI, we’d select Bellingham as a No.8 midfielder and Palmer in the No.10.
England must start Cole Palmer in his best position
We’ve seen at Chelsea that Palmer’s best spot is centrally in the hole behind the striker. Naturally, it’s a lot easier for him to receive the ball in-between the lines and impact matches with his incredible attacking instincts.
The way he’s performed for over a year now proves that he’s the real deal and someone with his ability will shine whenever he’s on a football pitch.
Palmer is already backing up his outrageous debut season with Chelsea last year. So far, the left-footed genius has six goals and four assists in eight matches across all competitions this term.
We’re confident Palmer’s going to do great things in an England shirt if he’s given that opportunity, so now is the time to bring him into the XI when he’s operating at such a high level.
