Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has praised the start that Cole Palmer has made to his Chelsea career.

The 21-year-old joined from Manchester City for £42.5m in the summer. At the time, Merson backed the player to be a success at Stamford Bridge and he feels that the attacking midfielder has lived up to expectations:

“I said it when they signed him that Cole Palmer was a good player and he has shown in recent weeks that he’s very much a player for the present and the future. He can unlock defences as he’s used to training like that at Manchester City and has done really well in recent weeks.”

Palmer has scored 2 penalties and provided 2 assists in his first 7 appearances for the Blues. Although those numbers are not overly impressive, it has been his overall impact that has stood out.

The England Under 21 international has instilled some much-needed creativity into a team that has struggled to score goals since the start of the season.

Palmer can play in multiple positions

One of the aspects of Palmer’s game that has really been noticeable is his positional flexibility. The midfielder has already been deployed as a right winger, a no.10 and a false nine by manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Yet, the player has adapted seamlessly to the positions he has been asked to play. That is something he probably developed during his time with Manchester City as well.

What will happen when Christopher Nkunku returns to fitness?

The France international is believed to be on the comeback trail following a knee injury, and it will be interesting to see what Pochettino decides to do when both Nkunku and Palmer are available.

It looks as though the pair prefer to play in similar areas but, considering what we have seen from Palmer in terms of his adaptability, there is no reason why they can’t play in the same starting eleven.

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