Chelsea legend John Terry has shared his admiration for current star Cole Palmer and what he’s achieving at Stamford Bridge.
The name John Terry is etched in Chelsea’s history as one of their greatest ever players. The former Blues captain won 15 major trophies with them during a golden era for the club.
If you skip to the present day, the club are some way off the top under the current Blues ownership.
Without a doubt, Cole Palmer, 22, is the shining light and major hope in the current side. The left-footed attacking midfielder has been outstanding since joining from Premier League rivals Manchester City in 2023.
Appearances Goals Assists
78 39 28
Cole Palmer’s Chelsea record
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill loves playing alongside Palmer, claiming that it makes his job easier when he can pass the ball up the pitch to him.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
John Terry shares Cole Palmer easily won Chelsea’s bleep test
Not only is Palmer a technically outstanding footballer, but he’s also durable, and his athleticism is underrated.
It may surprise fans to hear Terry share that the 22-year-old wiped the floor with his teammates during a recent bleep test in training, which is a famous running exercise.
When discussing Chelsea star Palmer, Terry told talkSPORT: (8:22am, 19 March): “He’s quite quick, you know. I was at Chelsea the other day; they were doing the bleep test, and he won it by a mile, and he was cruising. People were dropping out, and he was there right to the end.
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“In terms of fitness levels and power, he looks quite skinny but very strong. He takes the ball on the half-turn, really quick as well, impossible to play against.”
Even though the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in Chelsea’s midfield are running machines on a matchday, they couldn’t keep pace with Palmer in the running drill.
According to Marc Cucurella, Palmer doesn’t enjoy time in the gym when it comes to training in midweek. Therefore, it’s interesting to hear that he’s still the fittest in the squad.
Photo by Eddie Keogh - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Eddie Keogh – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Cole Palmer still on top in Chelsea player ratings this season
For the first time in his Chelsea career, Palmer is going through a mini dip. He’s not scored in any of his previous 10 games across all competitions, while he’s not produced an assist since 1 December.
It’s still obvious that he’s the talisman in the Blues team, though.
Even with the Englishman’s recent drop off, he’s still quite clearly their best Premier League performer in the statistics.
Player Average match rating Player of the match
Cole Palmer 7.71 5
Moises Caicedo 7.33 1
Noni Madueke 7.25 1
Nicolas Jackson 7.24 1
Enzo Fernandez 7.22 2
Chelsea’s highest rated players in the 2024/25 Premier League season via FOTMOB
Graeme Souness defended Palmer by claiming it’s only a matter of time before he rediscovers his form. Hopefully, he can regain his golden touch in front of goal in the final stretch of the season to fire Chelsea to Champions League qualification and the Conference League trophy.