Cole Palmer was named the eighth‑best player in the world at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in September, but both data and the eye test indicate a dip in form.
The 23-year-old is still regarded within Chelsea as “untouchable”. Former head coach Enzo Maresca labelled him the club’s “best player” while his successor Liam Rosenior has held multiple meetings with his star forward since taking charge.
However, even by the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year’s own admission, Palmer is not yet operating at his fluid, brilliant best – with several mitigating factors contributing to that downturn.
Firstly, as Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango said, the England forward has likely been suffering from burnout.
“When I look at someone like Cole Palmer, that’s three consecutive summers without a break,” Molango said at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.
“People say he’s a millionaire – yes, he is. But it doesn’t give you an extra lung or an extra leg. I want to see Cole Palmer on the pitch because he’s the one who makes me dream.”
Three years without a summer off saw him feature 112 times for club and country, with the addition of Club World Cup fixtures for Chelsea, the European Championship with England and the Under‑21 European Championship before that.
Those managing him did not consider it a coincidence that as demands on Palmer increased, his fitness suffered. The forward began struggling with a painful, recurring groin issue at the end of last season.
He had only partially recovered by December, returning after more than six weeks out, and Chelsea‘s medical team continue to monitor him closely.
Asked by BBC Sport about Palmer’s display following the 2–1 defeat away at Arsenal, Rosenior said: “He played 83 minutes. That was tactical.
“When I took him and Enzo [Fernandez] off, they were both on yellow cards and I wanted Garna [Alejandro Garnacho] and Liam [Delap] to come on and give us freshness, which I felt they did. He’s absolutely fine to start the game [against Aston Villa] on Wednesday.”
Even so, it may have been a surprise to some that Palmer – usually the source of goals or creativity – was withdrawn as Chelsea chased an equaliser. But the statistics suggest it was not an unjustified decision in the heat of the moment.