Chelsea struck gold with Cole Palmer – their best signing of the summer transfer window
www.telegraph.co.uk
Forward has been a revelation since he arrived at Chelsea, and is pushing himself and team-mates – on and off the pitch – to improve
  • TouchyTuchel@alien.topOPBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    The Telegraph’s Football Correspondent, Matt Law, outlines just how Cole Palmer became Chelsea’s best signing of the summer:

    When Chelsea’s recruitment staff were squad planning for the current season, there was one name that was raised who they feared Manchester City would simply refuse to do business on.

    Cole Palmer was the latest of Chelsea’s summer signings, arriving on the final day of the window, and yet it was during the negotiations over Mateo Kovacic’s move to City at the end of June that his name was first brought up between the two clubs.

    Kovacic’s move in the opposite direction, which went through without any hitches, is believed to have been key to City allowing Palmer to move to a traditional rival and for a deal to eventually be agreed without any last-minute price hikes.

    Chelsea knew they would be made to wait over Palmer and became concerned that he may not be allowed to leave City under any circumstances when the Premier League champions refused to entertain a loan enquiry from Brighton.

    As it became clear that City were going to sign Jeremy Doku, confidence inside Stamford Bridge increased and Chelsea were finally given a price for Palmer, who immediately made it clear he was keen on the switch.

    A deal worth £42.5 million, more than Tottenham Hotspur paid for England international James Maddison, seemed steep at the time for Palmer, who was relatively unproven at the top level, but Chelsea never viewed it in isolation.

    Supporters have tried to make comparisons between Palmer and Mason Mount, but it was actually Kai Havertz he was always lined up to replace, regardless of the injury Christoper Nkunku suffered in pre-season.

    Before addressing how well Palmer has settled into his new club on the pitch, it is perhaps more interesting to note how he has impressed Chelsea insiders off it.

    Chelsea have a number of Spanish speakers in Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and Thiago Silva, along with head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his backroom staff, and Palmer wants to make an effort to better understand them, rather than simply relying on being spoken to in English.

    Palmer was known by Pochettino, whose enthusiasm for the deal grew after being presented with greater information on his character and watching numerous clips of him.

    Pat Nevin, the former Chelsea winger, has already compared Palmer to a young Kevin De Bruyne and three goals and four assists would certainly suggest he is a player who is capable of impacting games in a similar way to the Belgian.

    Palmer can play as a No 10, an advanced eight or even a false nine, but his ability to drift in from the right, where he has predominantly started for Chelsea so far, has also drawn comparisons to another former City star, Riyad Mahrez, who could score and create goals in almost equal measure.

    He has already played more Premier League minutes for Chelsea than he did in his entire City career and there will be no ill will from Guardiola and Palmer’s former club when the two sides meet on Sunday. City insiders still describe him as “a great lad and talented player” who simply wanted a guarantee of more opportunities, which the club’s fans should also be understanding over.

    Read the full Matt Law feature on how Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has settled in at Stamford Bridge: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/11/10/cole-palmer-chelsea-best-signing-of-summer/