Cole Palmer as the best player in the Premier League right now.
Chelsea has made a strong start to the 2024/25 season, approaching their match against Manchester United on Sunday with five wins from their first nine games.
Enzo Maresca’s team has faced only two league losses this season, against Liverpool and Manchester City, while also drawing against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
Palmer has been central to Chelsea’s success, contributing seven goals and five assists across nine league appearances this season.
Last season, he had an impressive 27 goals in all competitions and added 15 assists to his tally.
The 22-year-old has thrived at Chelsea since joining from Manchester City in the summer of 2023, quickly making an impact.
His standout performances last season earned him his first England cap in November, and he was included in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for Euro 2024.
Ahead of Chelsea’s match against United, Lampard, speaking on Sky Sports, shared why he believes Palmer is currently England’s top performer.
While he stopped short of saying Palmer has carried the team, he highlighted the winger’s consistent role as a game-changer for Chelsea.
“I think he is the best player in the League,” Lampard said. “What he is delivering, in terms of goals and assists, in terms of his importance to the team. [He is] beautiful to watch, receives the ball in any area, knows what he is going to do with it next.
“His execution of passes and finishes is absolutely top level and there were times last season where, you wouldn’t say he carried the team, but he was a difference in a difficult season for Chelsea and he unleashed himself and we all saw it. Now he has got better support acts around him.”
Palmer came up through Manchester City’s academy, joining as a youngster at the under-eight level. He made his first-team debut for City under Pep Guardiola in a Carabao Cup win over Burnley in 2020.
In total, he appeared in 41 senior matches for City before deciding to move to Chelsea in 2023, in a £42.5 million deal.
The left-footed forward was a rare bright spot in Chelsea’s otherwise lackluster 2023/24 season under former manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea ended that season in sixth place, securing a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League, and chose to replace Pochettino with Enzo Maresca early in the summer.
