Pundit names key traits that Chelsea's Cole Palmer possesses that set him apart from England mates Foden, Bellingham and Grealish

Former Chelsea winger turned TV pundit Pat Nevin has highlighted the key trait in Cole Palmer that sets him apart from other players. The Scotsman has claimed that Palmer's vision and skills separate him from the likes of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, and Jack Grealish.

Palmer has seen a meteoric rise since his reported £42.5 million switch to Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer of 2023. He enjoyed a sensational debut season at Stamford Bridge scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists in 45 appearances across competitions.

The attacking midfielder has been on fire this season as well having contributed with six goals and five assists in nine appearances. Pat Nevin has waxed lyrical about the 22-year-old insisting that he is a special talent. The 61-year-old told BetVictor, as quoted by Goal:

“If you’ve watched football for a long time, you can just tell when a player has that special something. The first time I watched Cole Palmer, he was seeing things that other players weren’t. Every time other top players, like Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, got the ball, they were looking up and pinging it straight to Palmer. You don’t do that to average players, you do it to seriously good players."

Nevin added:

“To some degree it’s a shame for England that they’ve got Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish all in a similar position. However, I think Palmer has vision and skill levels that just set him apart from those players. I’m slightly hesitant to say that because I love Foden as a player, but Palmer has everything. If you wanted to buy an English player, I don’t know that there’s anyone you’d pick ahead of Cole Palmer.”

Palmer was named PFA Fans' Player of the Year and Premier League Young Player of the Season for his exploits last season. Prior to his move to Chelsea, he made 41 appearances for Manchester City scoring six times and producing two assists.

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Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola hails Cole Palmer

Former Chelsea forward Gianfranco Zola has lavished praise on Cole Palmer who has been on fire since joining the Blues in the summer of 2023. The former Italy international has insisted that the 22-year-old has what it takes to entertain the fans. Zola said, as quoted by BBC:

"I’m very impressed with Palmer because he’s doing amazing things and has been doing them for more than a season now. He’s probably one of the players that has surprised me the most. I could see straight away that he had qualities, but I didn’t see all of this coming. He has the ability to entertain."

Zola added:

"He always produces good passes and very good assists. What I love about him is when he receives the ball he is always looking up and many times he has the pass in mind before he receives the ball. This is a quality only the really big players have. I’m impressed."

Zola has urged Palmer not to become complacent and truly become a world-beater. Urging the attacking midfielder to stay motivated, the Chelsea legend said:

"You never settle for what you have achieved. The big players want to be the man of the match, then the player of the month, then the best in the year and then the best in the country and abroad. You have to have this ambition, to get better all the time, because the demands of modern football are very high. If you don’t have high motivation you can’t make it."

Zola is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have donned the Chelsea shirt. He spent seven years at Stamford Bridge between 1996 and 2003 and won six trophies. The Italian made 312 appearances for the Blues scoring 80 times while providing 40 assists.