Tony Cascarino has been on TalkSport this morning discussing his favourite players in the Premier League, and inevitably he ended up speaking about Cole Palmer.
The former Chelsea player picked up on the mental side of Palmer’s game, something that has really impressed everyone since he made a £40m move from Man City a year ago. In what was really his first season as a regular senior player, Palmer instantly looked settled and confident.
“The thing about Palmer that’s different from most players I have seen is he has got a real confidence and not in a bad way. He is so sure about what he’s doing. He has gone to Chelsea and it’s like a breeze,” Cascarino said on his show.
“He has just come in, he has settled in, he has played great football from day one, he has been Chelsea’s outstanding player of the season. He has done everything.”
An exceptional talent flies out of the blocks
It’s certainly something that was very notable about Palmer from the moment he arrived. It wasn’t just good performances – although he did well from his very first minutes on the pitch – it was his confidence. It was the opposite of what we expected from a player whose talent wasn’t in doubt, but who had played relatively few minutes for a player of his age in his situation.
We expected it to be a longer than usual bedding in period given that. Instead, he dropped right into the team and looked like a seasoned pro instantly. It took him about 3 games to be put on penalties, and within just a couple of months he was an established Premier League star.
We’re not sure we can remember a player going from 0-100 as quickly in a Chelsea shirt.