Chelsea forward Cole Palmer seems to have finally hit top form after a season plagued by injury.
Palmer did miss a sitter in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Leeds United on Tuesday night, but the attacking midfielder still put in a very good performance overall.
Who had the better individual season? 🔥
Eden Hazard's 2018/19 stats and Cole Palmer's 2023/24 stats at Chelsea
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images/Clive Rose
Before that, he scored a hat-trick in his side’s 3-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
There is no doubt that Palmer is one of the best players in the Premier League. Whether the 23-year-old is a world-class footballer, though, has been debated.
Sam Allardyce attends Day Four of the FIFAe World Cup™ featuring Football Manager
Photo by Alex Livesey – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Sam Allardyce doesn’t think Cole Palmer is world-class
Wayne Rooney certainly thinks Palmer is in the world-class bracket. When asked if the Chelsea man was world-class on No Tippy Tappy Football, Rooney replied yes, but Sam Allardyce gave a very different answer.
What is he talking about? 🤦♂️
Sam Allardyce discussing Chelsea's Cole Palmer
Credit: Stu Forster/Ben Roberts Photo via Getty Images
Whatever the case, Palmer is one of many excellent players at Liam Rosenior’s disposal and will play a huge part in any success Chelsea have this season.
Moises Caicedo is another Chelsea star who is arguably in the world-class category, though he did not make a good case for that on Tuesday.
The midfielder is criticised for being too overzealous with his tackling at times, and you could see why in the Blues’ draw with Leeds.
Caicedo made a poor challenge in the second half that resulted in Leeds winning a penalty that they managed to convert. Alongside Palmer, though, he is also among the Premier League’s elite.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer keeps his eye on the ball
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Cole Palmer is obviously world-class
It would be interesting to hear Allardyce’s argument as to why Palmer is not world-class yet. His numbers at Chelsea clearly suggest otherwise.
Since joining the Blues from Manchester City in 2023, Palmer has scored 52 goals and provided 32 assists in 115 appearances. It is a brilliant return.
Palmer has bagged four hat-tricks, and some of his goals have come in big games, such as last summer’s Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain. Palmer is world-class; it is not even up for debate.
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