Cole Palmer is loving life under new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso.
Cole Palmer played an influential role to Chelsea getting their season off to the perfect start.
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Cole Palmer has made a positive start to life under new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, with the Blues star recently expressing his happiness at working with the Spaniard compared with his previous head coaches at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso officially took charge on July 1, replacing Liam Rosenior, whose brief spell at Chelsea ended after just four months. A run of five consecutive league defeats, followed by a heavy loss to eventual Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, ultimately brought Rosenior’s tenure to an abrupt end.
Before Rosenior, Palmer worked under former Parma and Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca, who has recently succeeded Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
After a summer off having missed out on Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup squad, Palmer had a full break to rest and recover, particularly after overcoming the injury problems that plagued him last season, ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Palmer has been spurred on by the arrival of his best friend, Morgan Rogers, who signed from Aston Villa for a club-record £117 million.
And Palmer, 24, has made the perfect start to the season, scoring in Chelsea's 3-2 win over Fulham in their opening Premier League match.
Palmer was joined in attack by Rogers and Joao Pedro, who scored a goal each in the victory, showing an early glimpse of what is to come from Chelsea's attack this season.
It is a forward line Alonso has wanted, offering Chelsea balance and ensuring the trio can be flexible to his demands, including when they need to defend.
As Chelsea settle into life under Alonso, Palmer has now explained the key difference between Alonso and his predecessors at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer enjoying the 'freedom' to go into 'unsafe zones'
The Chelsea attacker pointed out that last season he wasn't allowed to go into certain positions because they weren't deemed 'safe zones', but Alonso gives the England international the licence to drift and roam across the pitch.
"He just said I'd have more freedom to drift about the pitch," Palmer told Sky Sports about Alonso. "Just like you saw (against Fulham) with the goal I scored.
"Last season, I wouldn't have even made that run because it's not a 'safe zone'. But he's saying move across that zone, drop into play, come get on the ball, create and just do what you do."
Palmer's exchange with Alonso at the full-time whistle at Craven Cottage on Monday showed the pair smiling together, suggesting they have already built a positive relationship in the short time they've been working together.
If this is Palmer's mood and form after just one week of the new season, it is a scary prospect at what he could achieve this season, getting back to his best form and firing Chelsea up the Premier League table.
Fulham struggled to contain Palmer, and they won't be the last opponent to be the subject of Palmer's quality. Now it's a case of Alonso continuing to get the best out of him, and it looks like he is and will.