It has been another morale-sapping season for the Chelsea fans as they face another campaign without any European football.
The fact that it happened once was surprising and alarming enough.
But the fact that it can now happen again, under a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino and after more money was spent, is rather worrying for the long-term prospects of the club.
Chelsea can still salvage their season because they have games in hand in the Premier League – ahead of their showdown against Manchester United on Thursday night – and that can push them towards Europe.
Plus, they are still in the FA Cup and, at the end of the day, putting a trophy on the table has never harmed anybody, even if some Chelsea fans want Pochettino gone.
But not many Chelsea players can hold their heads up high and state that they have been a consistent performer for the team this season.
One man who has impressed Cesc Fabregas is the man of the moment, Cole Palmer, as he told Planet Football.
The legendary midfielder admitted that he was ‘surprised’ Chelsea managed to sign the 21-year-old from Manchester City in the summer.
But he admitted that he has loved what Palmer has brought to the table and thinks he is someone who he has been ‘very impressed’ by.
Cole Palmer’s transfer to Chelsea
“It’s all about his personality,” said Fabregas. “I have to say that I was a little bit surprised by the move. I remember I was doing the Champions League final in the summer and he was just warming up there and being one of these young players coming up and enjoying the experience, not being selected or looked at to even feature in the game.
“Then, all of a sudden, a big move to Chelsea. Starts performing at the very, very high level, with a lot of quality and personality. He wants the ball and he makes things happen. Final pass and scores goals. He looks a bit like Maddison for Tottenham. He’s that type of player that makes the team tick.
“He has this pause in him. Sometimes in modern football, everything accelerates too fast. Players don’t understand the moment of when to pass or move. He has this little pause and composure in him that gives his striker the time to make their runs. I love him. I have been very, very impressed and I didn’t expect this type of impact. He’s been the Player of the Year for Chelsea.”
Cole Palmer at Euro 2024
You feel it would be a crying shame if Palmer is sat at home and doesn’t make Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 in the summer.
The issue here is that the majority of English fans would select Palmer. He would even probably start for the Three Lions.
From 25 Premier League games this term, he has scored 13 and assisted eight, which is pretty impressive for a team that has struggled for most of the time.
But, during England’s most-recent international outing, Palmer didn’t even earn a single minute of action during the friendly matches against Brazil and Belgium.
That’s probably a sign from the England manager that, when he submits his final 23, he is going to cut Palmer from his squad.
The post 'I was surprised': Cesc Fabregas shocked Chelsea managed to sign player with 'personality' appeared first on HITC.
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