Former Chelsea star Florent Malouda claims that Cole Palmer made the “same impact” that Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen had during their first full seasons in professional football.
Palmer had an incredible first 12 months at Stamford Bridge and, speaking to Coin Poker, Malouda said it is very rare for a player to make such a good impression at the start of his career:
“I think there were a couple of players who have exploded onto the English football scene in a similar way to Cole Palmer before, but we haven’t seen an English player do it so spectacularly in a long, long time.”
“He deserves his nickname Cold because of the way he handles the pressure; the big moments, it’s really impressive. He arrived at Chelsea as a young man with a big reputation and a big price tag – in twelve months he became a leader because of what he can do on the pitch.”
“If I think about other players that had the same impact in English football in their first full seasons, then I think you can say Michael Owen at Liverpool and Wayne Rooney at Everton. Both of those players got into their first teams as teenagers and never left them.”
How does Palmer’s start compare to Rooney and Owen?
Rooney scored 8 goals in 37 games when he made his breakthrough at Everton during the 2002/03 season, while Owen bagged 23 goals in 43 appearances for Liverpool in 1997/98.
You would have to say that the better comparison is between Palmer and Owen. The Blues midfielder ended his first campaign with 25 goals and 15 assists. It could be argued he’s had a bigger impact than both of those Premier League icons.
The sky is the limit for the Chelsea player
Based on what we’ve seen subsequently, Palmer’s form in the 2023/24 season was not a flash in the pan. He has already scored 6 times in 9 matches this term, breaking records along the way.
The 22-year-old became the first player in Premier League history to score 4 goals in the first half during the 4-2 win over Brighton last month. There is clearly potential for him to eclipse what he did last campaign, and that is quite an astonishing thought.
Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here