4 May 2026 09:28 BST |
4 min read
Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane has been forced to shield midfielder Cole Palmer from critics, claiming that the England star is ‘one of the best in the world’. And the Blues boss is right.
Palmer has not enjoyed the type of spectacular season that the London side might have been hoping for after he led them to Club World Cup glory with victory over PSG in the USA last summer.
A return of nine goals in 22 Premier League games is less than the Blues would have wished for, particularly as three of these came in one outing against bottom side Wolves.
There has been a lot going on in the background. Palmer has struggled with a niggling groin problem that saw him miss much of the autumn due to injury and has continued to impact his consistency even at this late stage of the campaign. Furthermore, he has been dogged by transfer rumours linking him with a move back to Manchester, either with United or City.
Critics have taken potshots at the 23-year-old for not hitting his peak, which is something that McFarlane claims is unfair.
“It’s been a difficult period for Cole. He’s had his first injury that he’s never had in his career. He’s had to learn how to deal with that,” the interim Chelsea boss said.
“I don’t agree with the narrative that he isn’t playing well. There’s obviously games where he can impact more, but there’s also been a lot of occasions where he’s created a lot of good chances for players. He can’t control whether that’s finished, he can just put the ball in the position.
“He’s still a top, top player, one of the best in the world.”
Cole Palmer surpassed by only one player in the Premier League this season
McFarlane is not wrong. The data shows that Palmer is still playing to an exceptional standard, even if the results are not there in terms of having the decisive output that Chelsea would wish for.
SciSports believes that Palmer’s performances rank him among the best performing attacking midfielders in the Premier League this season.
The Manchester-born star is ranked as the second-best performing player in his role this season behind Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz, having surpassed the data experts’ 900-minute threshold to gain a totally accurate reading of his performance.
Palmer’s impact offensively has been especially strong. His mind remains sharp as he is regarded as the Premier League’s best attacking midfielder in terms of offensive positioning, while he ranks second in passing and fourth in dribbling.
These are not the statistics of a player who is struggling for confidence.
That’s not to say there is not room for improvement, much of which could come on the defensive side of his game. In particular, he is struggling to have any impact when it comes to disruption. Indeed, it may well be that this is where his physical limitations are being expressed.
Palmer may not be at his absolute peak, but McFarlane is right to shoot down the critics.
