When Cole Palmer is on form for Chelsea, few attacking midfielders in the world can match his level of performance. So far in his Chelsea career, the Mancunian has bagged 45 goals in 86 games in the league, which is a strike rate that even the best strikers in the league would be proud of.
It’s important to remember that he is still only 23 and is likely to continue plying his trade in the top tier of English football for the next decade. While some put these inconsistencies down to his age, it can be frustrating for Chelsea fans to watch him at his best, when he looks virtually unstoppable, and then see him substituted off by Rosenior in the Burnley game. He wasn’t too happy about it.
It’s not the first time a Palmer substitution has been met with disgruntlement from the player himself. At Old Trafford earlier this season, he walked off the pitch and down the dugout after being substituted.
However, given the number of chances he missed, and the fact that Chelsea should’ve had the game put to bed before going on to drop points against a team who are likely to go down, he can’t argue too much about being hauled off.
What Do The Bookies Have To Say?
Chelsea went into this year’s EPL as a dark horse. Some pundits backed them to win the league. However, as the season has unravelled and Chelsea have already sacked one manager, opting for a much younger one, and added a raft of new signings, they have fallen way behind the pace set by Arsenal at the top of the league.
Some fans have laid this blame solely at Cole’s door. Having had one of the best individual debut seasons we have seen in the EPL for quite some time, which saw him hoover up a number of individual trophies, Chelsea awarded him with an eye-watering 9-year contract, with some believing he has been given a much bigger contract than he should have based on a couple of good seasons.
Of course, the size of this contract significantly increases the noise around him and makes his detractors much louder, especially when he is playing so inconsistently. The sportsbooks were more reserved about Chelsea’s chances this year. Arsenal remained the favorites to lift the EPL, with Liverpool a close second, although they have since tailed off.
We’ve seen how EPL markets can fluctuate depending on form and injuries, and with Palmer so influential in the Chelsea setup, the Ozoon sportsbook is just one of many that take these factors into account before setting their odds. If you are somebody who follows the sports betting markets, then you will understand just how much Palmer can impact Chelsea’s odds.
With Or Without Palmer
Although Palmer has missed a third of the games this year, he is still averaging a goal every 2 games. Chelsea are unbeaten in the league when Palmer has not finished, but to defend the Englishmen, they were all games in which you would expect Chelsea to pick up three points.
We’ve seen that in the games this year where Chelsea have dropped points, that their key men have not been firing on all cylinders. Palmer is one of these culprits, but the question has a lot more nuance. Chelsea have had problems at the boardroom level, continual issues in the dugout, key injuries, disappointing signings, and constantly feel like a team in transition – all of this does not boil down to one player.
Back in early February, it felt as though Palmer was getting back to his best, a hat-trick at Wolves, albeit one that included two penalties, and eager to pick up his form heading into the 2026 World Cup.
But following that game, Chelsea have dropped points at home to Leeds and Burnley, two teams struggling to remain in the Premier League. It can feel as though when Palmer is struggling to hit the target, Chelsea doesn’t have another talisman who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and get it over the finish line.
Taking It To The Business End Of The Season
Ultimately, if Chelsea can reach the latter stages of this season and finish in the top four, it will be considered a triumphant end to the season, given how volatile it has been at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer will play a big part in that. It feels inevitable at this stage that, if Chelsea is going to finish the season with a bang and qualify for the Champions League, Cole is going to have to find his form. If he doesn’t, it makes the task much more challenging.
That’s not to say Chelsea don’t have the quality. João Pedro and Enzo Fernández have more goals than Palmer, and if they can stay in form, Chelsea stands a great chance. There are so many moving variables here to weigh up, but Chelsea fans will hope that Palmer can find his form, because if he does, they stand a far better chance of ending the season strongly.
