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Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has praised midfielder Cole Palmer for his impact since joining the club last summer.
The Blues signed Palmer from Manchester City for a reported fee of around £45 million (via ESPN) in a move that initially raised eyebrows due to his limited first-team experience. However, the Englishman has settled in spectacularly, becoming a crucial outlet for his new team's attack.
In 23 matches across competitions for Chelsea this term, Palmer has recorded 11 goals and seven assists. This has brought him praise from Pochettino, who said in a press conference on Thursday, January 25 (as quoted by football.london):
"We are optimistic always when we sign a player. It's true he's doing fantastic. After six or seven months, he's doing a very good job.
"We're so happy with his impact. Always you expect when you sign a player that he can perform and help the team. He is helping the team to achieve things that we wanted."
Palmer's impressive start to the season even saw him earn his maiden senior England call-up in November. The 21-year-old went onto play twice as a substitute in their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
"It's going to be a good day" - Cole Palmer on Chelsea's EFL Cup final against Liverpool
Cole Palmer put in one of his most impressive performances this season in Chelsea's 6-1 thrashing of Middlesbrough in the second leg of their EFL Cup semifinal. In that game on Tuesday, January 23, he scored twice, while also recording two key passes and a big chance created.
The result gave the Blues a 6-2 aggregate win after they suffered a 1-0 loss in the first leg, a game in which their players, including Palmer, spurned multiple goalscoring opportunities. They will now take on Liverpool, who beat Fulham 3-2 on aggregate in the last four, in the final at Wembley on February 25.
Speaking after the win over Middlesborough, Palmer noted that he and Chelsea wanted to set things right after missing numerous chances in the first leg. He said (as quoted by the Mirror):
"After the first game, we knew it'd be difficult but to get the win and go to Wembley for the first time this season, it's going to be a good day. I missed three sitters in the first game so it was always in the back of my mind coming into this game. To score two and go through to Wembley, I'm happy.
"We've not had the best of starts, there is no hiding it but to go to Wembley is a great opportunity to get a trophy and we're looking forward to it."
Chelsea will have other assignments prior to their Wembley date with Liverpool, though, starting with a FA Cup clash against Aston Villa this weekend. Mauricio Pochettino's men will host Villa in a fourth-round encounter on Friday, January 26.
