Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have been looking back over the season on their football podcast, and waxing lyrical about Cole Palmer. Each had their own compliments for the Chelsea star in their unique style:
“Phenomenal talent. He just has this body language which makes everything look stupidly easy. His control and everything about his manner just looks so relaxed and comfortable. He’s just unbelievable, he’s brilliant,” Shearer commented in his typical matter of fact manner.
“Cole Palmer, his 22nd Premier League goal of the season. What a footballer. I’d forgotten as well, he didn’t play the first nine games of the season. I mean his numbers are incredible and he’s so silky. He could end up being the best of the lot,” said Lineker, in his much softer and more meandering way.
They both have Palmer as among their top candidates for player of the year.
Praise from the very best
Those aren’t just any old rent-a-quotes giving their opinions. That’s Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer. Two world class goal machines of years gone by, and two of England’s greatest ever players.
When they praise players like this, they know what they’re talking about. Perhaps Palmer really does have a chance of winning the Player of the Year award? Comments like this certainly make it more likely, and indicate a certain trend among writers towards appreciating just how good he’s been on an individual level in a team which has struggled
What we really need to do to help his case is publicise the fact that Palmer did indeed miss the start of the season (although we have him down making his first start in our 9th game rather than our 10th, as Lineker claimed). When people start to realise that, the numbers become even more ridiculous and his case even stronger.