In an almost unbelievable end to an almost unbelievable match at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, Cole Palmer showed his latest amazing performance to continue his first season at Chelsea to even more exciting levels.
In a season that has seen Mauricio Pochettino’s team troubled by injuries and irregularities, the 21-year-old has been perhaps the only consistently positive aspect since his move from Manchester City in the summer.
And as Chelsea suffered yet another familiar defeat against Manchester United, it was once again Palmer who attracted attention, calmly scoring his second penalty of the night in the tenth minute of added time before scoring a winning goal just a minute later to complete a dramatic comeback against the club he grew up supporting.
The fans at Stamford Bridge have become increasingly accustomed to such performances from the young player, who has pushed himself to the edge of England’s Euro 2024 squad and is almost guaranteed to win the Young Player of the Year award at the end of the season.
Despite that, Palmer’s outstanding first season at Chelsea was not expected. A £42.5 million fee on deadline day raised questions for a midfielder who only started two Premier League games for City last season, but the Englishman has overcome the pressure of expectations that have affected many big-money signings made by Toddy Boehly.
Now one of the most in-form players in the league, Metro Sport looks at three reasons why Cole Palmer is the the signing of the season.
Breaking records
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Unsurprisingly, Palmer’s performances this season have resulted in numerous records being broken.
His hat-trick on Thursday brings his league total to 16 goals – just two behind Erling Haaland and five more than fellow summer recruits Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson combined. In all competitions, the Englishman has achieved a massive 33 goal contributions in 39 games.
Against Burnley last weekend, he became only the fifth player to reach 20 goal involvements in their first season with Chelsea and is the youngest to do so at the age of 21.
And in the league overall, Palmer has 24 goals and assists, more than prolific duo Eden Hazard and Diego Costa managed in their debut seasons. Only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (32) has more goal contributions than the attacking midfielder in his debut season.
Solo performance
While Palmer has been a regular in Chelsea’s lineup since joining in September, Pochettino has struggled to find the same consistency in the forwards around him.
The previously mentioned Jackson and Nkunku have faced difficulties with form and injury respectively, while on the wings, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke have all experienced fluctuations in form at various points during the campaign.
Meanwhile, Palmer has been consistent in his performance. Since his first league goal against Burnley in October, the young player has only once gone two consecutive games without providing a goal or assist for his team in the league.
While the other forwards have been changed frequently, Palmer has made the central attacking position his own, showing a dependability rarely seen in Pochettino’s other forwards and establishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.
Quieting the skeptics
Although it may seem like a distant memory, Palmer’s first goal of the season indeed happened while wearing the sky-blue home shirt of Manchester City. Chosen to start in the UEFA Super Cup final, Palmer scored an important equalizer against Seville as Pep Guardiola’s team came from behind to secure a penalty-shootout victory.
Guardiola has since indicated that the 21-year-old had clearly expressed his wish to play more regularly this season – a desire City couldn’t fulfill. Opting for regular football may have seemed like an obvious choice, but it carried risks.
Fellow academy graduate Phil Foden, who is currently enjoying his best season at the club, was developed in the first team for several years before starting regularly, and Palmer could have easily taken a similar path.
However, the youngster took a different path, taking a risk by moving away from family and the comforts of City’s successful machine to launch his senior career, and has greatly benefited from it.
Jeremy Doku, who was signed by City just a week before Palmer left, has faced rotation and injury this season, but has only scored two league goals, a far cry from Palmer’s performances.
City have often had to make tough decisions with their squad in their pursuit of league dominance, but Palmer’s departure is likely one that the club regrets more with each passing day.
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