‘City’s boy is Chelsea‘s man,’ roared Peter Drury on Sky Sports commentary as Cole Palmer confidently dispatched a last-minute penalty against his former employers to grab a point for the Blues on Sunday evening.
The strike was the 21-year-old’s fourth successful spot-kick in as many attempts since his £42.5million switch to Stamford Bridge last summer and it capped off another starring performance in a darker shade of blue.
But Palmer’s goal contributions are only one example of his startling development in London.
Following a succession of transfer window spending sprees, Chelsea’s Cobham training ground is an unbalanced collection of high-potential youngsters desperate to impress. Final sessions before Mauricio Pochettino announces his matchday squads must resemble a trial in the Hunger Games.
But Palmer, who appears unfazed by any situation, has ascended to the top. No longer ‘one to watch’, he is a player already making meaningful contributions to a top Premier League side.
Chelsea’s newest star Cole Palmer kept his nerve to convert a last-minute penalty against Manchester City, earning his side a point during Sunday’s thrilling 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge
Despite some worries over competition for places at Chelsea, Palmer has quickly become a favourite under manager Mauricio Pochettino thanks to his footballing ability and personality
City manager Pep Guardiola revealed the young winger rejected his offer of more play time
Ahead of Sunday’s thrilling 4-4 draw with Manchester City, the Chelsea boss tried to temper hyperbolic forecasts of the winger’s future, having earlier compared him to former Real Madrid star and World Cup winner Angel Di Maria.
‘He has the capacity to be the playmaker that can link with his team-mates,’ Pochettino told Sky Sports. ‘Very important for us in the way we want to play.
‘Not too much talk as [we] need to give the time to learn and improve and see in a few years if he will be the big player we saw.’
Palmer’s subsequent performance did little to lower lofty expectations. He told reporters after the game that he doesn’t ‘work on penalties’, but simply trusts his ability.
‘It was very strange since it’s the first time I’ve played against Manchester City.’ He said. ‘It was a long wait [to take the penalty] but I felt confident. I’ve had a few now. I kept focused. I won’t say I work on penalties, because I don’t. I just trust my ability.’
The youngster added to the peculiarity of…