When Chelsea signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City for a ‘nominal’ fee of around £40million, it was seen as something of a coup. Relatively unknown, but heralded as a prodigal talent, one who may better the talents of the likes of Phil Foden, Palmer arrived at Stamford Bridge somewhat under the radar.
After another transfer window of lavish spending on young talents from across Europe, the Wythenshawe raised attacking midfielder was signed late on in the 2023 summer transfer window and wasn’t expected to become an immediate starter for the Blues.
Stand-off With Pep
Palmer was reportedly pushing for a starting role at Manchester City before his transfer to London. With only a handful of appearances under his belt, the majority of which coming in the cup competitions, patience was wearing out for the young star. Then, prior to Palmer joining Chelsea, Man City made the decision to sign Jérémy Doku for around £60million – further pushing Palmer down the pecking order.
Reportedly, Palmer was told to either stay and fight for his place and accept only being a squad player by the legendary Pep Guardiola or leave permanently. Palmer didn’t want to consider a loan move, to then find himself in a similar situation. From here, Chelsea came calling and Palmer hasn’t looked back since.
Accolades Aplenty
Since making the move to London, Palmer’s success and importance to Chelsea cannot be understated and he’s now the first name on the team sheet and has seen a rise from talented potential at Man City, to Ballon d’Or nominee in the space of a little over 12 months. In 41 league appearances so far for Chelsea, the 22-year-old has notched up 28 goals and 16 assists alongside countless man-of-the-match awards and, unsurprisingly, was Chelsea’s player of the year for the 2023-24 season.
Palmer has also scored in a European final for England, albeit on the losing side, and is likely to be one of the first names on Thomas Tuchel’s team sheet for the new England manager’s reign. With such high levels of success so early in his career, and the potential to go even further, Chelsea fans have began making natural comparisons to former Blues hero, Eden Hazard.
Can Palmer Top the Belgian?
Hazard enjoyed a stellar Chelsea career and is rightly considered as one of Stamford Bridge’s best ever players. Lighting up the Premier League with countless performances and winning matches on his own at times, Hazard had was largely seen to be irreplaceable at Stamford Bridge, and various attempts since have failed (see Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech).
But despite all the ridicule of Chelsea’s recent transfer activity, it does look like they’ve unearthed a gem who could go on to be a Chelsea legend for the next decade. Still only 22, Palmer does seem to have the world at his feet and can go on to eclipse Hazard’s legacy at Stamford Bridge. Blues fans will be praying that Palmer can help return top trophies to Stamford Bridge, starting in Maresca’s first season.
The only question is whether Palmer has the longevity and consistency to match Hazard’s illustrious seven-year spell in London, but the early signs are more than promising.
