Chelsea legend Eden Hazard has hailed the performances of attacking midfielder Cole Palmer following his arrival at Stamford Bridge last summer.

Speaking on The Obi One podcast with former teammate John Obi Mikel, Hazard said that the 21-year-old is a huge talent:

“Cole Palmer is a top, top player. You know left-footers at times have something magical.”

Since arriving from Manchester City for £42.5m at the end of the summer transfer transfer window, Palmer has been a revelation.

In just 29 appearances for the Blues, the England international has scored 12 goals and contributed 9 assists.

Chelsea have found themselves a real gem

Hazard is certainly not the only one who has been full of praise for Palmer. His great start to life at the club has come as a surprise to many. Even his manager Mauricio Pochettino was taken aback with regard to how quickly the midfielder settled into life at the club.

Like Hazard, Pochettino has been raving about the youngster’s ability and even likened him to former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel Di Maria:

“In the position that he plays, and because he’s a left-footer and because he has some similarities and the quality, he’s a potential Angel Di Maria. Angel is a world champion [with Argentina in 2022], he was in Paris [Saint-Germain] with us, and is an amazing player. He [Palmer] has the capacity and the potential to be close to him, with time.”

Palmer has some way to go to match Hazard’s achievements

Of course, there will be some Chelsea supporters who will be comparing Palmer to Hazard himself, considering they are both playmakers.

The former City player is averaging a goal contribution every 1.32 matches at the moment, which is actually better than Hazard, who scored a goal or provided an assist every 1.74 games during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Of course, the Belgian did it over a much longer period of time (seven years) and it remains to be seen whether Palmer can match that longevity, as well as the trophies that Hazard won.