Bukayo Saka has been warned that his England starting spot is under threat, with Cole Palmer tipped to become a key player for the Three Lions.
Saka has once again been one of the driving forces behind Arsenal’s success this season, scoring 18 goals and notching 13 assists in all competitions. He starred in Tuesday’s draw with Bayern Munich, having also scored in the win over Brighton on Saturday.
But competition for a place in Gareth Southgate’s England team for Euro 2024 is set to be fierce. Palmer is one of those pushing hard to be given a chance to star in Germany this summer.
The 21-year-old has been a revelation for Chelsea since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Manchester City last summer. He has scored 19 goals for the Blues, regularly winning games almost single-handedly.
Those performances have fired him into contention for the England senior team, receiving his first call-up in November. And former Arsenal star Alan Smith believes that Saka needs to be looking over his shoulder.
“Cole Palmer has to get into that England squad and if he’s going to play then it needs to be on that right hand side – that’s where he’s done all his good work for Chelsea where he comes in onto his left foot,” Smith told instantcasino.com.
“He’s had an outstanding season for an otherwise disappointing Chelsea side. Palmer is definitely a threat to Bukayo Saka, but I think that’s helpful to someone like Bukayo – it pushes him on. I think it’s great to have players being pushed by equally as talented lads.
“We’ll see how he responds to it. I’d love to see Phil Foden in the number 10 position with Jude Bellingham coming from a slightly deeper role, so we’ll see what Gareth Southgate does with all these players, but what a choice to have.”
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LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 04: Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s second goal from a penalty kick during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on April 04, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
Chelsea star Cole Palmer has been tipped to push Saka hard
While Palmer has been backed to steal Saka’s place this summer, the Chelsea star did not feature in England’s most recent internationals. Instead, he was left on the bench for both the defeat to Brazil and the draw with Belgium.
Saka meanwhile was ruled out of both games with injury, but has now returned to full fitness. And Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is backing him to play a key role in Arsenal’s push for the title.
“I’m super positive, I think he’s going to fly and be so decisive. Because he’s so strong, and how much he wants it. When you talk to him and how excited he is about what is coming, he wants to be there,” he said before the win over Brighton.
“He’s getting better and better and it’s normal to have little niggles. You have kicks and he’s gone through a lot of that in the last two or three years and now look at the way he’s performing.”
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