'We won't play these meaningless games' - Cole Palmer and Xabi Alonso's Chelsea plan revealed
Cole Palmer's decision to pull out of the England squad for the upcoming international fixtures will have been driven by Chelsea behind the scenes.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that Xabi Alonso will have been in the midfielder's ear about pulling out.
The 24-year-old withdrew from the squad to help manage his workload, after playing all 90 minutes of Chelsea's defeat to Brentford last Friday.
Wyness believes that Palmer has taken a "calculated gamble" with his decision to step out of Thomas Tuchel's group, given that there are no guarantees that he will be able to get back in.
The Blues star has already been replaced in the squad by Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, who was a surprise exclusion from the squad for the World Cup.
England open their Nations League campaign against Spain at Wembley on Saturday, followed by away games against Czechia and Croatia, with a home clash against Czechia rounding off the international break on 6 October.
Chelsea have saved money from Cole Palmer pulling out
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Chelsea will have saved a small amount of money as a result of Palmer's decision to withdraw from the England squad.
The Scottish businessman made it clear that the former Manchester City starlet is extremely likely to have a clause in his contract that triggers a bonus when he plays for his country.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why Palmer's decision is not without long-term risk.
"Yes, I think it is (Alonso). It's club influence definitely. Last year, Palmer wasn't really in great form, but he does seem to have started off the season pretty strong," he said.
"I'm sure they've weighed it all up, and they've decided, 'We won't get into these pretty meaningless games coming up and, then, when the big ones come up, we'll make ourselves available'. And he will probably be picked.
"Tuchel has some experience of Palmer at some stage personally, so I don't think there'll be an issue with Palmer putting his hand up and saying that he's available for selection later on.
"Certain England games are going to be pick and choose now for players like Palmer. And that's where they've got to be informed. The minute they drop out of form, then that will count against them in terms of coming back in. It's a calculated gamble.
"But also, there'll be a lot of clauses in there about appearances for England."
Chelsea cannot fund Stamford Bridge rebuild
Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider last weekend that it is "basically impossible" for Chelsea to rebuild Stamford Bridge.
The football finance expert believes that the full redevelopment of the stadium would cost around £2billion, and he simply cannot see Clearlake investing that amount any time soon.
Borson pointed towards the £1.4bn of debt that the club currently faces, and outlined that they are in no position to think about upgrading their ground.
Stamford Bridge's small capacity compared to Chelsea's direct rivals has made it a clear target for work in recent years, but the club are still no closer to making the desired changes.