“He’s the key man” - Granit Xhaka lavishes praise on ‘amazing’ Chelsea star who has improved so much after joining Blues

Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has heaped praise on Chelsea star Cole Palmer, calling him ‘amazing’ and even declaring him ‘the key man’ in the Blues squad following his meteoric rise since arriving at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 2023 for a reported fee of €47 million, has seen his stock rise at the west London club. In his debut season, he recorded the most goal contributions (40) for the club and has continued to perform at a high level.

During a recent ranking session on Sky Sports, Xhaka was asked to rank Bruno Fernandes, Palmer, and Florian Wirtz among the attacking midfielders to watch in the Premier League this season. While Palmer came third on Xhaka’s list, the Swiss veteran spoke glowingly of the young Englishman.

“He’s amazing. How much he improved after his move from Man City to Chelsea, unbelievable, he’s the key man in my opinion, he finds the spaces between the lines, he finds the last pass and he can score as well himself,” Xhaka said.

In the ongoing season, Palmer has scored two goals in four appearances. He has, however, been sidelined since September and is expected remain out of action until November due to a persistent groin injury.

“It’s a little more difficult” – Chelsea prodigy reveals problem in relationship with teammate Cole Palmer

Chelsea winger Estevao Willian has revealed that his limited proficiency in English has posed some challenges in fully connecting and communicating with teammate Cole Palmer. Estevao completed his move to Stamford Bridge after the Club World Cup and has made a positive impression on the Blues faithful.

Palmer had previously mentioned that Estevao struggled to understand him after the match between Chelsea and Palmeiras in the Club World Cup. Speaking to Globo, the Brazilian revealed that his friendship with Palmer is ‘still budding’ but admitted the language barrier between them.

“With Palmer, the friendship is still budding. It’s a little more difficult; his English is very British, and I was learning American English, which is a little easier. I say a word or two, but he understands what I mean,” Estevao said.

Palmer and Estevao have played three matches together in a Blues shirt but are yet to combine for a goal. Estevao turned heads with his winning goal against Liverpool and has further solidified his burgeoning reputation after scoring a brace in Brazil’s 5-0 win against South Korea in a friendly match.