Cole Palmer is on fire

Raise your hand if you had Cole Palmer being the Premier League’s joint-top goal scorer on your 2024 bingo card. 🙋‍♂️ 

Now stop lying and put your hand down.

Palmer has been the Premier League’s biggest surprise this season, going from a Man City reject to a burgeoning superstar at Stamford Bridge. With 20 goals and nine assists in the Premier League, the 21-year-old has been the sole bright spot in an otherwise dismal Chelsea team.

Coming out party

Palmer scored four goals in Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing of Everton on Monday, equalling leading scorer Erling Haaland’s goal tally on the season with 20. As if going toe-to-toe with last season’s Golden Boot winner wasn’t impressive enough, consider this:

• Palmer became the first Chelsea player to score 20 Premier League goals in a season since Eden Hazard in 2018-19.

• He has now scored at least a hat-trick in back-to-back Premier League games, becoming the first Chelsea player to do since Didier Drogba in 2010.

• Palmer has become the first Blue to score in seven consecutive Premier League appearances at Stamford Bridge.

Breaking records set by club legends like Hazard and Drogba may come as news to neutrals, but the rarified air Palmer occupies is anything but for Chelsea fans, who shudder at the thought of the Englishman not being at the club.

Surprise Golden Boot candidate

Since signing with the club on the last day of the summer transfer window for a fee of only €47m, Palmer has surpassed the expectations of even the most ardent Chelsea supporters. His first season with the club is also the first he’s started consistently in the Premier League.

At Man City, Palmer warmed the bench. At Chelsea, he’s a star, and has become the first name on Mauricio Pochettino’s team sheet. While Monday may have been a coming out party of sorts for Palmer, his talent has been apparent from the get-go in West London.

Palmer’s deadly left foot and unique way of taking on defenders – think luring them in before exploding past, à la Jack Grealish – have him excelling as the Blues’ no. 10, where he’s deployed in a free-roaming role to break through defensive lines. Now, he’s adding goals to his game, too.

The young Englishman has caught the attention of Gareth Southgate, who sent his assistant, Steve Holland, to watch Chelsea’s drubbing of Everton on Monday. Palmer only made his senior debut for the Three Lions in November, but looks nailed on to be included in England’s squad for Euro 2024 in Germany. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 

A cool cat

While everyone around him is losing their shit, Palmer is not getting carried away by all the excitement. His cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor carries over his post-match interviews, where his deadpan expressions often give the impression he doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. 🥒 

His temperament – and status as Chelsea’s top penalty taker – was briefly put to the test when both Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson tried to pry the ball from his hands for a PK on Monday. Palmer responded by shoving them away, and coolly slotting it past Jordan Pickford for his fourth and Chelsea’s fifth on the evening.

After the game, Pochettino made it perfectly clear where Palmer stands in the pecking order of Chelsea’s talented youngsters. “Palmer is the pen taker,” the Argentine said. “Again, very clear. Cole Palmer is the penalty taker.”