It came to everyone’s surprise when Manchester City accepted a massive bid from Chelsea for their young talent, Cole Palmer. The England U-21 star was eventually sold to the Blues on deadline day. Cole Palmer started his senior career in 2020, and there has been a lot of growth in his game over the years. A treble-winner at the age of 21 has now headed for a new challenge at Chelsea.
Life at Chelsea didn’t start the way that Cole Palmer wanted. Chelsea have been inconsistent, and their struggles to score goals have led to their downfall. However, a few decent results in the last couple of games have brought back the confidence of the players. They are finding their rhythm. Chelsea paid heavily for their new right-wingers, and here are the stats that show why the Blues decided to buy Palmer.
Cole Palmer made his Chelsea debut against Nottingham Forest and made a cameo appearance. The 21-year-old had to taste defeat in his first match for the London club. The Englishman earned his first start against Brighton in the EFL Cup and provided an assist for the only goal in the match. Back-to-back starts before the international break allowed the player to score his first goal for the Blues, and he also added an assist in the Premier League. Cole Palmer is a left-footed right-winger and averages 3.3 touches inside the penalty box per 90 minutes.
Around four progressive runs are made by this young Englishman per 90 minutes, with only a few coming wide on the flanks. His dribbling ability has a success rate of 66.67% in the current season and that shows how much confidence Palmer has on the field.
At Manchester City and especially under Pep Guardiola, a player usually develops his ability to pass the ball and look for teammates. So has been the case for Cole Palmer. He developed under Pep and knows how to keep the ball and when to distribute it to his teammates.
This season, the youngster averages 43.2 passes per 90 minutes and has a high accuracy rate of 88%. These include five passes to the opposition penalty box per 90 minutes and that too with a 72% accuracy rate.
The 21-year-old is a natural left-footed wide forward, who likes to attempt shots towards the far corner. To date, the youngster has attempted eight shots and three were on target.
Cole Palmer’s addition to Chelsea has added creativity to Pochettino’s team. The Blues have struggled to convert chances and that is what the manager would like to improve after the international break. Palmer’s two contributions in the last game will ensure more game time for the Englishman.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine