Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has urged Cole Palmer to rediscover the consistency that made him one of the Premier League’s brightest young talents, insisting the England star’s omission from the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad should serve as a wake-up call.
Palmer enjoyed a sensational debut season at Chelsea after joining from Manchester City in a £40 million move in the summer of 2023, scoring 25 goals and winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Although he followed that with 18 goals during the 2024-25 campaign while helping Chelsea win the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, his form dipped during an injury-hit 2025-26 season, when he managed 11 goals.
The decline saw England manager Thomas Tuchel leave the 24-year-old out of his World Cup squad despite Palmer having previously established himself as a regular with the Three Lions.
Speaking to GOAL, Leboeuf said Palmer’s talent has never been in doubt, but warned that sustained excellence is what separates elite players from true legends.
“I’ve talked about the dictator of emergency when you have a young guy that Pep Guardiola didn’t want to keep, goes to Chelsea and created a big surprise to everybody, at the point that I think Pep Guardiola regretted that move.
“And coming from nowhere, that was crazy.
“But you become a great football player when you show consistency. And it’s not only one season, it’s two, three, four, five.
“Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, it’s 17 seasons, something like that.
“We are still waiting for Kylian Mbappe at the end of his career to make sure we can name him as a legend.”
Leboeuf added that maintaining international status also depends on sustained performances over several years.
“That’s insane. But that’s what it is. That’s football.
“As I always say, the first time selected with a national team, oh wow, I’m an international player.
“In France, you need 10 caps to be named international. It’s because you need to show your consistency at that level.”
The 1998 World Cup winner also pointed to injuries and tactical decisions as factors behind Palmer’s struggles.
“And Cole Palmer, because of also the coaches that he had, the tactics that they made, putting him on the right side where it wasn’t his position, and some injuries that he had, wasn’t capable of keeping on working hard and showing his talent.
“You cannot deny it, every time he touches the ball, something happens, or something can happen.”
Leboeuf believes Palmer must use the disappointment of missing out on England’s World Cup squad as motivation to rebuild his career under Chelsea’s new manager, Xabi Alonso.
“Now, I would say he has to go back to work with humility because I think it was a big slap in the face that he wasn’t selected for the World Cup. So that should make him react.”
Palmer was left out of England’s World Cup squad alongside Phil Foden and Morgan Gibbs-White as the Three Lions progressed to the knockout stage in North America.
Despite speculation linking him with a return to Manchester, Chelsea have Palmer under contract until 2033 and are not considering a sale as they prepare for the 2026-27 Premier League season.
