Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has compared forward Cole Palmer‘s influence on the team to that of Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah‘s on Liverpool.
Palmer joined the west London club from Manchester City in September 2023 and has been their standout performer since, scoring 22 league goals last term under Mauricio Pochettino and adding 14 more to that tally this season, along with six assists.
Salah, meanwhile, sits atop the league’s scoring chart this campaign having contributed 18 goals and 13 assists to help Arne Slot’s Liverpool establish a six-point gap at the top of the league with a game in hand.
Maresca said, however, that it was not just Palmer’s efficiency in the final third that make comparisons to the Egypt international pertinent, but his willingness to compete in challenging situations.
“He [Palmer] is improving a lot but not just in terms of numbers of goals and assists,” Maresca said in his news conference on Friday. “The second half against Wolves for me was one of the best moments since I arrived here. He was showing personality, he was asking for the ball in any moment that the team needed it.
“Liverpool when they have some [tough] moments, Salah is asking for the ball. Arsenal when they have some problem, [Martin] Ødegaard is asking for the ball.
“We need that kind of player when we are in some difficult moments, who is turning to his teammates and saying: ‘Give me the ball, don’t worry, I will be in charge.’
“This kind of personality that we have to show in a difficult moments. Against Wolves in the second half he was top.”
Chelsea take on City at Etihad Stadium on Saturday in a rematch of both teams’ opening game of the season — a game that Pep Guardiola’s team won 2-0 — and Maresca said that despite Palmer’s irrepressible form since moving to the capital, his former club will have few regrets.
“Having so many options there I think it was difficult for Pep to give Cole minutes,” Maresca said.
“No one at City was thinking that Cole was not good enough. Everyone was sure that he is a top player.
“The problem was that if Cole played then Phil Foden has not to play, or [Kevin] De Bruyne. It’s a matter of balance and a matter of decisions.”
Chelsea head into the clash in fourth place in the Premier League, two points ahead of City in fifth.
