Simon Jordan is not sure Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer has “had quite the impact” required for a place in England’s squad at this summer’s European Championships.
Palmer has been outstanding for the Blues this term, proving himself to be well worth the £40million Mauricio Pochettino’s side paid to land him from Manchester City last summer.
Cole Palmer has been a ‘shining light’ for Chelsea in 23/24
Palmer showed glimpses of his potential when given the opportunity to impress under Pep Guardiola but his performances in 2023/24 have caught us all by surprise, in a good way.
In total, the 21-year-old has scored 13 goals and provided 11 assists in 33 Chelsea appearances.
At this point, it feels like it would be very harsh for England manager Gareth Southgate not to include Palmer in his Euro 2024 squad, especially when he received a call-up for the most recent international break in November.
Despite his electric form at Stamford Bridge, former Crystal Palace owner Jordan thinks Palmer’s place in this summer’s squad is “debatable”.
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“I think he’s one of the few shining lights,” he said on talkSPORT. “I’d argue that if Manchester City really wanted to, they’d have kept him because they are not under Financial Fair Play or any kind of governance from that point of view.
“I think they sold him because perhaps they didn’t think he was right for Manchester City.
“At the stage in Chelsea’s transition, because they’ve got few shining lights, Cole Palmer will shine through.
“Ultimately he’s a good player, whether he makes the Euros I think is debatable.
“I don’t think he’s had quite the impact that would leverage him in there but he can be part of the conversation.
“There’s the argument that he can be a really significant player in a season where Chelsea have not been what people anticipated.”
Cole Palmer praises Chelsea after Newcastle win
Palmer was inspirational as Chelsea beat Newcastle United 3-2 in the Premier League on Monday night.
Speaking after grabbing his 11th league goal of the campaign, the former Manchester City youngster praised Chelsea’s “passion and courage”.
“We had the courage to play, which is what we need as a young team,” Palmer told the club’s official website.
“We are going to make mistakes, so it’s about going on to the next one and the next one.”
Monday’s win was their first in the league in front of their own fans since being booed off at the end of a 4-2 defeat to Wolves early in February, with a Carabao Cup final loss to a heavily depleted Liverpool team on February 25 doing nothing to lift spirits.
“We’ve had some difficult results recently, the cup final versus Liverpool, the game against Wolves, so to get points is vital for us,” Palmer said.
“I think we showed a bit of passion and courage, winning those second balls and not getting bullied.”
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