Chelsea starlet Cole Palmer could prove to be a stain on Pep Guardiola’s legacy as he continues his fine run of form at Chelsea after leaving Manchester City in the summer. Guardiola has rarely sanctioned a player exit and been wrong.
Even Sky Blues academy graduate Jadon Sancho, who looked amazing at Borussia Dortmund, in time proved the Spaniard right with his lacklustre displays at Manchester United. Palmer’s trajectory could still follow a similar path but he is already looking Premier League-ready at Stamford Bridge.
In 16 Premier League games this season, Palmer has scored eight goals and laid on four assists. He is the versatile glue that binds Chelsea’s attack together and has become a crucial part of Mauricio Pochettino’s system.
Palmer can regularly be seen switching from a central attacking midfield role to Chelsea’s right flank going forward before dropping back to partner with Conor Gallagher in the centre of the park as the Blues look to lower the tempo of the game.
He is involved in almost every phase of play and provides more than just goal contributions. Palmer may end up being the one that got away from Guardiola during his extended stint at the Etihad Stadium with Man City potentially denied a next-generation talent for when he’s gone.
Danny Murphy has been impressed by the youngster this season. The former Fulham and Liverpool star lauded Palmer as the best-attacking midfielder in England’s top-flight so far this season when naming his Premier League XI for the 2023/2024 campaign.
“I’ve gone Cole Palmer as the 10, I think he’s been absolutely outstanding, I didn’t see this level from him at [Manchester] City. He’s absolutely outstanding, his game intelligence is phenomenal,” Murphy said on talkSPORT.
Meanwhile, Pochettino believes Palmer has the potential to achieve similar heights to that of Argentine legend Angel Di Maria. “In the position that he [Palmer] plays, and because he’s a left-footer and because he has some similarities and the quality, he’s a potential Angel Di Maria,” Pochettino said of Palmer in an interview with TNT Sports. “Angel is a world champion [with Argentina], he was in Paris with us, and is an amazing player.
“He [Palmer] has the capacity and the potential to be close to him, with time. He’s still far away, but this type of player that can link, can be a playmaker, have the capacity to score, assist, it’s this type of player like Angel.
“Always you expect when you sign a player, you expect that they perform in the best way. But of course he’s performing really well from Day 1, he’s adapted very well to the club, to the teammates, to Chelsea life, and yes it’s amazing, because always you expect the player can perform well, but he’s doing excellent.”
