A lot of key players could be heading for the exit door. There is almost an acceptance amongst the fans that Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella could leave for the right offer. Obviously, those are two nailed-on starters for Chelsea. So, their exit would not be ideal and replacements would need to be brought in. Hopefully, quality ones and not more project signings that are more likely to fail than work out.
Fernandez and Cucurella are not the only starters who could be headed for the exit door. There has been all this talk about Joao Pedro as well. While the club seem unwilling to part ways, the fact that Barcelona seem so keen and are so public about it will continue to worry the fans. It is not hard to turn a player’s head. Especially when you finish tenth and have no Champions League football or genuine chance of winning trophies to offer.
Cole Palmer is another player who has been linked with a move away for a little while. Man Utd are believed to be interested in him. And now, with Enzo Maresca set to join Man City, a return there cannot be ruled out either.
Some reports in Spain have even claimed that a £86 million offer is already on the table. But according to football.london, Chelsea are more than happy with Palmer and have no intention of parting ways with him this summer.
There is only one way Cole Palmer could leave Chelsea
The only way a Palmer exit could happen this summer is if he actively starts pushing for it. Right now, that does not seem like something that is going to happen.
But it does not take long for things to change in football. Let’s not forget, he missed out on the World Cup this season.
Now, a large part of that was down to losing his form in recent times. Then again, he might feel he needs to be playing in the top competitions like the Champions League consistently to catch the eye of Tuchel.
Unfortunately, Chelsea have missed out on qualification once again. Let’s hope that is not enough to convince Palmer to push for a move away.
Xabi Alonso could help rediscover the real Cole Palmer
Let’s be honest, we have not seen Palmer at his best for a long time. Even going back to last season, he was nowhere near his best in the second half of the campaign.
That performance against PSG in the Club World Cup final might have plastered over a lot of cracks. Palmer has been struggling for a little while.
A lot of that might be down to the injury problems that he has been dealing with. A groin issue is believed to have bothered him for a long time now.
He also seems short of confidence at the moment. Palmer simply does not have that last 10-15% in his game anymore.
He is no longer making those instinctive decisions that made him so special during his first 18 months at Chelsea. Whether it be shooting from an unlikely position and pulling out a pass nobody saw coming. It was a player who was absolutely sure of himself at all times. Right now, he seems to be second-guessing constantly.
Let’s hope that Xabi Alonso knows how to get Palmer playing back at his best. He improved a ton of players during his time at Bayer Leverkusen and helped Arda Guler get to a high level at Real Madrid. Hopefully, he is able to do something similar with Chelsea’s number 10 and get him back to the player we know he can be.