Cole Palmer’s performance levels during his first campaign as a Chelsea player have been absolutely phenomenal.
Truth be told, without the 22-year-old, who knows where the Blues would be right now? But one thing is for certain: they’d be much worse off.
The England international has well and truly exceeded every expectation, scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists in 29 starts, the most goal involvements in the league.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a Chelsea target who could just become Palmer 2.0 under Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea’s search for another Palmer
According to a report from GiveMeSport earlier this week, Chelsea are in the race to sign Eberechi Eze – having also shown an interest in teammate Michael Olise, alongside Manchester United.
It’s reported that a fee of at least £60m will be demanded by Crystal Palace for their star man, but Tottenham Hotspur are set to rival the Blues for his signature.
Given that the Eagles number ten has been simply outstanding this season, it’s no surprise to see that the most elite English clubs are interested.
Over the course of the campaign, the midfielder made 27 appearances, scoring an impressive 11 goals and providing four assists in the process.
His performances may have just earned him a spot on the plane to Germany for the European Championships with England, which just proves how influential he’s been.
Why Eze could be the next Palmer
Based on Eze’s statistics from this season alone, it’s clear to see that the attacking midfielder has plenty of similarities to Palmer.
This is both in terms of their style of play and their statistics, which is why they’ve been classed as 'similar players’ by FBref – when looking at Premier League players.
Goals
0.48
0.76
Assists
0.18
0.38
Shots
3.59
3.44
Touches
55.80
60.50
Successful take-ons
3.02
1.79
Key passes
2.37
2.48
Shot-creating actions
4.82
5.57
As displayed above, the duo are extremely technical players who thrive when operating in tight central zones, where they can get on the half-turn and create magic.
They also both bring goals from midfield, which would make Chelsea incredibly dangerous in the final third due to the unpredictability that they provide.
On top of that, Eze is well and truly the heartbeat at Palace; he’s the instigator in turning defence into attack, which the Chelsea faithful have seen Palmer do all season long.
Just like Palmer, Eze can play across the attack due to his insane technical class, but the former Queens Park Rangers ace could even play slightly deeper, as shown by his four tackles and seven duels won against Aston Villa on the final day of the season.
However, the main difference between Palmer and Eze is that the latter is slightly more dynamic, using his silky dribbling to weave past the opposition, which is why Palace’s number ten has been described as a “superstar” by analyst Ben Mattinson.
Furthermore, as you can see from the graphic above, if Chelsea did opt for Eze over Olise, they’d be getting a player who’s just as talented and just as impactful in the final third.
Overall, the signing of Eze would be absolutely fantastic for Chelsea, and his position in a left-sided midfield role under Maresca could genuinely take him to the level of Palmer.
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