Cole Palmer has so often been Chelsea’s talisman with his brilliance in attack. It must be up to others around him to step up when he has an off-day, though.
The way that Cole Palmer, 23, has performed for Chelsea since he joined them from Manchester City in the 2023 summer transfer window has been sensational.
Unfortunately, the attacking midfielder couldn’t make the difference during the Blues’ opening game of the new Premier League season, drawing 0-0 at home to Crystal Palace last Sunday.
Cole Palmer vs Crystal Palace: 😳
• 0 goals
• 0 assists
• 0 shots on target
• 0/4 crosses
• 0/1 dribble attempts
• 3/4 ground duels lost
• 14x possession lost pic.twitter.com/yfPe7qLjIV
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) August 17, 2025
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Glenn Hoddle admits Palmer was quiet against Palace for the majority of the contest. However, we’d like to see others really come to the fore when the England international can’t find a way through the opposition.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer battles with Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton during the Premier League match.
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Chelsea’s alarming win percentage in the Premier League when Cole Palmer doesn’t contribute
We’ve taken a look at how Chelsea fare in the Premier League when talisman Palmer doesn’t score or assist.
In 71 Premier League appearances for the Blues since he joined them, Palmer has an impressive record of either scoring or assisting in 36 separate matches. That equates to 37 goals and 20 assists in the 71 top-flight matches for the attacking midfielder.
It means that there have been 35 Premier League games that Chelsea have played where Palmer has featured and not made a direct goal contribution. In those games, the Blues have an alarming win percentage of just 37%, winning just 13 of 35 matches.
Matches Wins Draws Losses
35 13 8 14
Chelsea’s record in the Premier League when Cole Palmer has played but not scored or assisted
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We’re confident that Palmer will continue to shine for Chelsea, both in league and cup matches. It’s time for some others in the dressing room to start chipping in with more goals and assists, though.
Paul Merson claims opposition teams target Palmer and look to limit his influence. If that’s true, it should only open the door for his teammates to exploit other spaces.
Cole Palmer playing for Chelsea against Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Chelsea players who should hit double digits for goals
If we’re looking at Chelsea’s squad, Palmer is one of several players we’d expect to see smash past 10-plus goals this season.
Blues strikers Joao Pedro and Liam Delap should be aiming to score a minimum of 10 league goals in their debut seasons in West London, even if they do share the minutes in attack.
The other individual with plenty of goals in him is Enzo Fernandez from central midfield. Fernandez admits he wants to score and assist more, so we’re optimistic that he can do just that with his box-to-box runs.
Can Chelsea wingers Estevao Willian, Pedro Neto or Jamie Gittens aim high, too?