Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi is unlikely to be too surprised with the impact Cole Palmer has made at Chelsea this season.
Throughout the current season, Cole Palmer has been without a doubt Chelsea’s top player. When everything is taken into account, he may be the Premier League’s greatest player.
The forward has netted 21 goals for Mauricio Pochettino’s team in 31 games.
Palmer contributed to Chelsea’s most recent victory, a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest. As it was his tenth goal of the Premier League campaign, he now has 31 goal contributions to his credit.
Simon Jordan, a frequent contributor to TalkSPORT, believes the 22-year-old has reached “a different level” since April.
Roberto De Zerbi on Cole Palmer
Brighton & Hove Albion host Chelsea at the Amex Stadium, and their manager De Zerbi has revealed that the Seagulls tried to sign Palmer last summer.
De Zerbi says he and the club predicted that the Englishman would go on to become a top player.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, with BBC Sport relaying his words, the Italian said: “We tried to bring him in the transfer market last summer. We thought he could be a top player.
“The qualities of Palmer are clear for everybody, but not when he played for Manchester City. This season he is playing very well, he is scoring a lot of goals.
“The quality of Palmer is very high. He’s a problem for us tomorrow [today] because he can start in the winger position and come inside or [play as] a number 10 as well.”
Could Roberto De Zerbi end up managing Cole Palmer at Chelsea?
Palmer eluded De Zerbi last summer, but it’s not out of the question that he may eventually coach the England international.
The manager of Brighton has actually been connected to Chelsea, and it’s far from clear that Mauricio Pochettino will stay at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine will meet with Chelsea on Monday to discuss the season and his long-term future at the team, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
De Zerbi might take over as Palmer’s manager if Pochettino leaves Stamford Bridge.
