Cole Palmer has revealed he wanted Chelsea’s number 10 shirt to emulate his idols Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney.
The 23-year-old previously played with No. 20 on his back but changed ahead of the Club World Cup and wore his new number for the first time in Monday’s 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC.
Asked if the there were any number 10s he particularly saw as role models, Palmer said: “Messi, the big one, Rooney and players like that. It’s just an iconic number. I wore No. 10 all my life growing up and I just like the number.”
Former Chelsea greats Eden Hazard, Joe Cole and Willian wore the number 10 shirt but it was most recently taken by Mykhailo Mudryk, who is facing a potential ban of up to four years after the Football Association charged him on Wednesday with a doping offence relating to a positive drugs test.
“I have not spoken to Misha yet but I will when the time is right,” said Palmer. “It is not really my place to get involved with him at the minute. I will speak to him.”
Palmer also played down any suggestions of a disagreement with head coach Enzo Maresca over Chelsea’s style of play.
After creating two assists to help the Blues fight back against Real Betis to win last month’s Conference League final, Palmer claimed he was “sick of going backwards and sideways” and Maresca subsequently claimed he spoke to the playmaker a day later to urge him to be more expressive.