Cole Palmer has become one of the world's best players at Chelsea (Credit: Imago)
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20 Jul 2026, 12:00 pm
Jarrod Bowen and Cole Palmer could have been the difference for England at the World Cup if they had been selected.
That is the opinion of experienced former Tottenham, Everton and Aston Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
England's World Cup ended on Saturday with 6-4 victory over France in the third-place game, with Spain ultimately beating Argentina in Sunday's final.
Thomas Tuchel has faced plenty of questions in the aftermath of the semi-final defeat to Argentina, which saw his team collapse at 1-0 up.
England went ahead through Anthony Gordon but chose to sit back, with the German bringing on several defenders in an attempt to keep Lionel Messi and co out.
They were eventually breached and dumped out, with plenty of questions about both management and squad selection re-appearing as the tournament came to an end.
Cole Palmer 'would have dazzled' for England
Both Palmer and Bowen were in contention for the England squad, but ultimately missed out.
The Chelsea man had an injury-hit campaign, but still managed 11 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions.
Bowen, too, scored 11 and assisted 12 across all competitions, and all while playing for a West Ham team that would eventually go down.
Both players would have undoubtedly been frustrated not to have made the squad, especially considering the inclusion of the likes of Noni Madueke and Ivan Toney.
"Jarrod Bowen had had a good season in a team that was struggling to stay in the Premier League. I thought he deserved a place, and certainly the boy Palmer," King told Football Insider.
"That type of player is made for the world stage. He's clever, great technique, and I think he'd have offered more than what [Jordan] Henderson did at the finish. He didn't play for a minute, did he? He broke his arm, which was unfortunate, but he never played a minute.
"It's all right. We took him because he's good for the dressing room. Hang on a minute here. We could have done with him [Palmer]. We could have done with him against Argentina because Argentina wouldn't have liked to play against him.
"He takes people on, and I'm sure Argentina would have had maybe one or two players who could have been sent off playing against him."
What will England's team look like in 2030?
At the next World Cup, in 2030, England's team will undoubtedly look massively different.
The likes of Harry Kane, Henderson, John Stones, Dan Burn and Toney will likely be missing, while the likes of Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers will be in their prime.
Palmer will be 28 and may well be in that squad, although he will have competition. The likes of Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha, who are 16 and 17 at the moment, will have been playing for several seasons and could be in contention.
Names not even widely known yet may well be among Tuchel's main men, with England only producing more and more talents.