At 22, Palmer is currently regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League.
He won the PFA Young Player of the Year award after an outstanding debut season at Chelsea. ..Continue Reading
This season, Palmer has continued to impress, displaying remarkable confidence on the field that has surprised even the most experienced players.
The ex-Manchester City player has already tallied 11 goals and six assists in 15 Premier League matches this term, including a clever ‘Panenka’ penalty against Tottenham in Chelsea’s 4-3 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
When Palmer joined Chelsea in September 2023, many fans were skeptical about the move, especially since City had just achieved a historic treble and he had contributed during pre-season, scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 FA Community Shield win over Arsenal at Wembley.
Nevertheless, Palmer believed in himself and moved to London for more consistent first-team opportunities.
Guardiola might regret letting him go, as a former City star noted how the Spanish manager always knew Palmer was “special.”
“Pep [Guardiola] knew [Cole] Palmer had something special because he doesn’t pass to Kevin De Bruyne when he asks for the ball,” Joleon Lescott said on the High Performance Podcast earlier this year.
“Pep knew he got personality because in training if young lads come up, and then Kevin shouts for the ball, even if it’s not on [for a pass], they would try to pass to him.
“Cole doesn’t do that. If there’s something better on for Cole and the team, that’s what’s happening, not that Kevin needs the ball.”
During the 2023/24 campaign, Guardiola revealed how it was Palmer who “wanted to leave” the club.
“He’s an exceptional player,” said Guardiola. “I said many times, I didn’t give him the minutes that maybe he deserved, and now he has at Chelsea.
“I understand completely. He’s a shy guy with a lot of potential. It is what it is. He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said stay. He said he wanted to leave. What could we do?”
