Chelsea still finds themselves stuck in 11th place after their 3-2 victory against Newcastle on Monday night, but they are now eyeing a potential savior to rescue a season filled with chaos and uncertainty under Mauricio Pochettino: Cole Palmer.
The era of Todd Boehly has seen 28 new signings arrive at Chelsea, with a total expenditure reaching billions of pounds. Ultimately, Palmer, the latest addition to this roster, appears to be the real bargain that has made Boehly and his associates proud.
Rescuing Pochettino from the wrath
Coach Pochettino needs someone to shine and divert the angry Chelsea fans’ attention away from him, even though he is merely a victim of the football structure under Boehly’s era at Stamford Bridge. Fortunately, a goal and an assist from Palmer were enough to satisfy the Argentine coach. Not only Pochettino, but Gareth Southgate is also certain to prioritize this 21-year-old forward in the upcoming England national team squad for the matches in March.
The statistics are what everyone sees Palmer shine brighter than any expensive signings Chelsea has made in the last 4 transfer windows. Including the win against Newcastle, the 2002-born striker has contributed to 19 of Chelsea’s goals in the Premier League this season, including 11 direct goals and 8 assists. If we consider players aged 21 and under in the top 5 European leagues, Palmer’s numbers only lag behind compatriot Jude Bellingham, who has been making waves in Real Madrid’s colors in La Liga this season.
Another statistic highlights Palmer’s importance at Chelsea: The win against Newcastle marked the 5th time this season that Palmer both scored and assisted in a single match. This number surpasses any other player in the Premier League. Palmer is the clear difference-maker in the match between two struggling giants trying to find their identity again. His impact in the 86 minutes on the field was enough for Chelsea to secure their 11th win in the Premier League this season, alleviating the toxic atmosphere in the stands that erupted from the draw against Brentford away in the previous round. Of course, the former Manchester City forward also owes a bit of luck that ensured Chelsea didn’t drop points like Pochettino’s team tragedy at Brentford Community Ground 11 days ago.
On the other hand, Coach Pochettino can’t ask for more from Palmer, a rare attacking player who meets the standards that the Argentine coach wants to see at Stamford Bridge: “Palmer arrived at Chelsea on the last day of last summer’s transfer window, but he easily adapted to the team’s demands. He shows his qualities and Chelsea are happy to have Palmer.”
Paving the present, opening the future for Chelsea
Chelsea’s victory against Newcastle brings hopeful prospects ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester next Sunday. It is the only arena for a dual purpose: Winning the only title this season while opening the opportunity to participate in the European Cup this season for Pochettino and his team. Palmer and Chelsea players can hardly wait for the path to Europe through the Premier League, even though the recent victory has narrowed the gap with the Top 4 and Top 6 to 16 and 8 points respectively. Even if Chelsea win the FA Cup at Wembley in May, this season for Pochettino’s team is still considered inadequate as long as the target of Champions League qualification remains uncertain.
This will open up the prospect that Chelsea may have to sell off a large number of players in the upcoming summer transfer window to ensure they avoid facing penalties for violating the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play regulations. At least, the Stamford Bridge team realizes that one of the names they must keep at all costs this summer is Palmer. This 21-year-old forward is confident that even amidst significant personnel changes at Chelsea, the team still has talents to look forward to: “There are too many talents at Stamford Bridge that people pay little attention to. If not this season, they will emerge in the future, the question is just sooner or later.”
Besides Palmer, two other names present in the score sheet, Nicolas Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk, still have a lot of effort to make. Jackson just scored his 9th goal in the Premier League, matching the number of yellow cards he has received this season. Meanwhile, Mudryk’s goal only ensured Chelsea a comfortable lead, while there are still concerns whether it is enough to keep the Ukrainian forward in the starting lineup for the upcoming FA Cup quarter-final or not. Chelsea brought him in for £88 million not just to see Mudryk fade into the background in the attacking line. If Jackson and Mudryk play up to expectations and the amount Chelsea spent alongside a developing star like Palmer, Pochettino and his team can confidently think about the future.