PFA chief: ‘Congested calendar behind Foden and Palmer dip in form’

Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden’s dip in form this season has been blamed on football’s increasingly congested fixture calendar.

Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chief executive Maheta Molango has warned that elite players are being pushed beyond sustainable limits.

Foden was absent from the England World Cup squad after enduring a frustrating campaign at club level.

He swept up individual honours at the end of the 2023/24 season, including the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

However, he has struggled to reproduce those standards over the 2025/26 campaign.

Speaking during discussions held by the global players’ union FIFPRO, Molango described the 25-year-old as one of the major casualties of modern football’s relentless scheduling demands.

“The number of games that he’s been available for has dropped, and when he has been available, it has not been the version of Phil Foden we saw two years ago,” Molango said (via the BBC).

“Unfortunately, he is one of the victims of this crazy calendar that only makes sense for those pursuing commercial gain.”

Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer was also highlighted after a difficult season that ended with him missing out on England selection.

Palmer’s form tailed off after carrying Chelsea for large stretches of the previous campaign.

Molango insists supporters were denied the chance to consistently see the best version of one of the league’s brightest talents.

FIFPRO believes the current football calendar is causing long-term physical and mental strain on players, increasing the likelihood of injuries and performance declines.

The organisation pointed to Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk as examples of players facing mounting workload concerns heading into next season.

Both logged enormous minutes domestically and are expected to feature heavily again at the expanded 48-team World Cup.

Molango warned that it risks becoming a survival-of-the-fittest, arguing that players who endure 60-game seasons cannot realistically perform at their peak deep into another major competition.