'Not Cole Palmer FC' - Pochettino tells Chelsea flops to step up their game

Updated: 23 Apr 2024 09:35 BST
3 min read

Mauricio Pochettino has tried to make it clear that Cole Palmer can't continue to be Chelsea's get-out-of-jail card.

The summer signing has had a quite stunning impact at Stamford Bridge and his €47 million transfer fee looks a real bargain, a rare good piece of business by Chelsea under Todd Boehly.

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Palmer is going toe-to-toe with ex-Man City teammate Erling Haaland at the summit of the Premier League Golden Boot charts and there is a solid argument to be made that Chelsea would be in a relegation scrap had it not been for the 21-year-old attacker.

Yet, Chelsea could be without their talisman for their crucial London clash with Arsenal on Tuesday evening. The youngster, it seems, has taken his nickname a bit too literally and 'Cold Palmer' could miss the game due to illness.

The title-chasing Gunners will be the household favourites against Mauricio Pochettino's mid-table Blues, but Palmer's potential absence presents a chance for some of Chelsea's underperformers to show what they are capable of.

Compared

VS

2023/2024

Season Statistics

2023/2024

28	Appearances	26
20	Goals	20
9	Assists	5

'Not Cole Palmer FC'

Indeed, ahead of the game, Pochettino made sure to hammer home that a club like Chelsea can't be a one-man show, urging the rest of the team to step up their game.

“It is a good challenge in case Palmer is not available,” Chelsea’s head coach said. “It’s a good challenge for the teammates. If I am a teammate of Cole Palmer in his position or a similar position, I am going to be motivated to go there tomorrow and show this is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club.”

"[Palmer] is a good example for them – why is he doing so well and why are they not capable to do the same? It is a good challenge. They are not jealous. They only want the same pill we provide Palmer! It’s a joke! They ask, ‘What you are doing for Palmer, we want the same.'"

Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea, Cole Palmer