The England international is now the clear favourite to land the Young Premier League Player of the Year award, having been named among the nominees this week. And the forward’s all-round play has been liked to Paul Gascoigne, who himself landed the honour in 1988 when still at Newcastle United.
One of Gascoigne’s former international team-mates, Teddy Sheringham, praised the rising star for flourishing in a struggling side. “Cole Palmer is a clever player,” he told Genting Casino. “He’s someone that I really like, and you can see how much confidence he has at the moment.
“He joined from Manchester City and he could have struggled with Chelsea, because in the early and middle parts of the season, they have been below par. But he has kept his standards very high throughout the season, which is very unusual for a young player.I think he has been absolutely brilliant.”
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“He’s a bit Gazza-ish with his ability to take the ball in any area of the pitch. He takes responsibility, it’s like he’s saying, ‘give me the ball and we’ll be alright’.”
Under Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues have hit form at the tail-end of the season, backing up a 2-0 win over Tottenham before hammering West Ham 5-0 last Sunday. The six points taken from Sheringham’s two former clubs has taken Chelsea seventh and in the mix for a Europa League place.
“Chelsea are having a late surge,” added Sheringham. “But if they had been up there in third or fourth, then you could have probably gone for him as Player of the Year because of his goals and his assists. He is a must-win for Young Player of the Year.”
As well as Palmer, his former team-mates Phil Foden and Erling Haaland are also up for the award, along with Alexander Isak, Kobbie Mainoo, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Destiny Udogie. Furthermore, Palmer, Foden, Haaland and Isak are also nominated for the main Player of the Year honour.
They are joined by Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Virgil Van Dijk, and Ollie Watkins. The winners, decided by a public vote and a Premier League panel, will be announced on May 18.
