As he handed the Matthew Harding Stand on Chelsea’s lap of appreciation following a 4-2 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, Cole Palmer tucked his well-earned match ball beneath the entrance of his shirt to free his palms and return the applause.
His intent might have been sensible, however the picture it created was indelible: a 22-year-old famous person, pregnant with genius?
Many within the Premier League would contend that specific delivery has been and gone. Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler admitted in his post-match press convention that after six matches of a season that has already seen his staff meet Manchester United and Arsenal, Palmer is one of the best particular person participant they’ve confronted.
“That they had one superb participant that punished each mistake we made,” Hurzeler mentioned of Palmer. “He punished each particular person mistake. You may’t cease him in one-against-one conditions. We’ve to defend in opposition to him as a staff.”
Palmer made Premier League historical past in opposition to Brighton, turning into the primary participant to attain 4 first-half targets. There was a tap-in, a sometimes nerveless penalty, a elegant free-kick and whipped near-post end. He had one other purpose dominated out for an accurate however shut offside and hit the submit.
The boy is a genius. 💫#CFC | #CHEBHA pic.twitter.com/pIuZIiKKll
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 28, 2024
All the issues occurred between the nineteenth minute and the forty first minute, solely the miss was surprising.
“I mentioned to Cole that he scored 4 targets, however he may have scored two or three extra,” Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca mentioned with a smile in his post-match press convention. “It’s good that he continues to be hungry, formidable.”
Maresca went on to clarify why he by no means worries about Palmer letting all of his quickly rising fame, adulation and listing of particular person accolades go to his head.
“I do know Cole from a few years in the past, I had him for one total season with the under-23s at Manchester Metropolis,” the Italian mentioned.
“The very best factor he has is that in the best way he’s at the moment as a boy, he was three or 4 years in the past. So targets, assists, greatest participant of the Premier League… this doesn’t change who he’s. He’s a easy man, a humble man, and this for me is an important factor.”
4 – Cole Palmer is the primary participant in Premier League historical past to attain 4 targets earlier than half-time in a single match. Chilly. #CHEBHA pic.twitter.com/7dNiM1Ndd7
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 28, 2024
One a part of Maresca’s reply caught within the thoughts: “greatest participant of the Premier League”. In context, it appeared extra like a passing remark to underline the extent of Palmer’s grounded nature than a bullish declare about his place on the prime of the famous person hierarchy, however there’s a rising urge for food to make a honest argument on his behalf.
Finest participant debates in soccer are sometimes tedious, not least as a result of when most individuals say these two phrases they actually imply greatest attacking participant. Rodri misplaced one match in 18 months for membership and nation earlier than rupturing his ACL in opposition to Arsenal; how do you evaluate the worth of midfield controllers and defensive destroyers with those that deal within the forex of targets and assists?
Erling Haaland has been the logical selection for greatest attacking participant within the league just about ever since arriving at Manchester Metropolis in the summertime of 2022, and a ridiculous 10 targets in his first six Premier League matches of 2024-25 suggests he has no intention of surrendering that specific mantle anytime quickly.
The one attacker whose output deserves severe comparability with the Norwegian phenomenon is Palmer. His six targets and 4 assists in 2024-25 give him the identical variety of direct purpose involvements as Haaland (10) and because the starting of final season he’s one forward, with a big hole to one of the best of the remaining:
In such rarefied air of attacking brilliance, private choice tends to be the ultimate differentiator. Haaland is essentially the most relentless, bodily overwhelming pure goalscorer of his era, virtually fully single-minded in his give attention to ending strikes. Palmer scores much less — significantly so from open play final season — however creates way more, making him a pure hub by which Chelsea’s total assault flows.
This was the story of a lot of the second half at Stamford Bridge; with 4 targets within the bag Palmer dropped deeper into midfield, carving by Brighton’s excessive defensive position with completely weighted passes moderately than the incisive runs that underpinned his first-half purpose rush. He may need added three assists to his tally if Nicolas Jackson had not misplaced the composure in entrance of purpose that he had proven in opposition to West Ham.
However it’s these spectacular scoring bursts that do greater than the rest to alert the remainder of the Premier League and soccer supporters at massive to Palmer’s dominance. In just a little greater than a yr as a Chelsea starter that is his third match ball and, extremely, it may not even be his most spectacular four-goal haul in a sport (sorry, Everton).
43 – For the reason that begin of 2023-24, Cole Palmer has been straight concerned in 43 @premierleague targets (28 targets, 15 assists), greater than every other participant. Sensation. pic.twitter.com/jT68CaCTSQ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 28, 2024
Palmer has as many Premier League hat-tricks as Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink. His tenth profitable penalty kick in opposition to Brighton — transformed after grinning and nodding at Bart Verbruggen’s makes an attempt to place him off — strikes him to inside certainly one of Yaya Toure, the person who boasts essentially the most Premier League penalties scored with out a miss (11).
If the uncooked numbers usually are not sufficient to persuade that Palmer has an more and more credible declare to be thought-about the Premier League’s greatest attacker, the illustrious statistical firm he retains must be. The heralded achievements of bona fide legends are being matched and surpassed by a person with fewer than 60 league appearances to his identify, and who doesn’t flip 23 till Might.
He will likely be 31 when his Chelsea contract expires. Palmer has a famous person trajectory, a protracted runway and, optimistically, an actual likelihood to turn into the benchmark for all different Premier League attackers.
(Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside through Getty Photographs)
