- Cole Palmer came of the bench to score England’s equaliser against Spain
- Speaking after the final whistle Palmer sent his teammates a defiant message
- The Chelsea star also revealed his stance on Gareth Southgate’s future
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: Will Gareth Southgate stick around for the World Cup?
Cole Palmer has praised Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate after their heartbreaking Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
The Chelsea forward who scored an impressive 27 goals in all competitions last season had to settle for substitutions appearances at tournament staged in Germany but proved to be a valuable assist when called upon.
The final was no different, with the 22-year-old coming off the bench to score England‘s equaliser to give Gareth Southgate’s men hope that they would be ending their 58 year long wait for a trophy.
However it was not to be as they were unable to match Luis de la Fuente side’s 90-minute winning display.
Speaking after the game, a dejected Palmer urged his teammates to keep their heads held high, to reflect on the positives of making back-to-back Euro finals and to look ahead to the 2026 World Cup.
In his post match press conference, the England star told ITV ‘We got to another final, there are positives to take,’
‘Obviously everyone wanted to go a step further, and we’re disappointed that we didn’t… [but] the World Cup’s in two years’ time, we need to remember this feeling and hopefully push on and try and win it.’
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Palmer’s attitude after the game, choosing to look positively ahead and using the defeat as motivation to push on and perform better in England’s next tournament shows the elite mentality Gareth Southgate has instilled in his players.
However, Palmer did admit that Spain were the deserving winners on the night.
‘Spain have been brilliant all tournament, everyone has seen what they can do, so they’re a great team, congratulations to them,” he said, before conceding: “It hurts… I’m gutted.’
Palmer commented further on his own journey at Euro 2024 on his Instagram.
Posting a series of tournament snapshots alongside the caption ‘Gutted. An honour to represent my country in a major tournament, thank you to everyone for their support throughout the tournament.’ accompanied by a white love heart emoji and a lion.’
As another international final has come and gone for England without a trophy, the spotlight has once again been thrown onto Gareth Southgate and his future with the Three Lions.
Fans have mixed emotions on the former Middlesborough and England youth coach, with many calling for him to be replaced, whilst others are hoping he will stay on for another major tournament.
When asked about Southgate, Palmer had nothing but praise for the 53-year-old, which insinuates he is on the side who want Southgate to stay.
‘Gareth’s been amazing for the group. He’s got the team to back-to-back finals, so it’s been good’ Palmer said.
Southgate’s future with England has been left lingering in the air, with no hasty decisions being made of the back of their defeat.
After the game, Southgate was ridiculed by reporters to reveal his plans moving forward with the England coach revealing that he would speak to those close to him before coming to a decision.
Now is not the best time to take a decision like that, I’ve got to talk to the right people. It’s not for right now’ he told ITV in his post match interview.