'He reminds me of Bernardo Silva' - new Chelsea star praised

Stuart Telford

• 2 Nov 2023 15:42 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea don't seem to have got much right in the transfer market since Todd Boehly took over, but Cole Palmer is an exception according to former Blues defender Jason Cundy.

Chelsea have spent more than £1 billion on players since Boehly succeeded Roman Abramovich in ownership at Stamford Bridge in May 2022, but find themselves languishing in 11th in the Premier League this season.

Of that outlay, £40 million of it went on Manchester City academy graduate Palmer on transfer deadline day last summer, and the attacking midfielder has been one of the few positives for Chelsea this season.

READ: Revealed: Why Man City sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea this summer

Palmer's assist for Raheem Sterling's goal in the 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup on Wednesday took his goal-involvements up to seven in 12 games this season and Cundy, who had a rare night off from talkSPORT to co-commentate the game, was impressed.

Palmer 'Chelsea's best player'

"I have to say, Cole Palmer right now is on fire," he said. "He is Chelsea’s best, most influential player, no question about that. "Every time he gets the ball, something's going to happen. He's got that ability. He reminded me a little bit of Bernardo or David Silva."

A boyhood City fan, Palmer might have preferred to have succeeded the Silvas in their first-team, but the continued presence of Bernardo blocked his path. Now City's loss is very much Chelsea's gain.

READ: 'Our own De Bruyne' - Chelsea fans gush over Palmer after Brentford display

West Ham, Brighton and Bundesliga pair Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig were previously credited with an interest in the England U21 international, but such has been his rise at Chelsea there is little chance of him moving anywhere, even on loan, now.

Chelsea's 'loan army' is 20-deep this season, and includes former first-teamers such us Kepa Arrizabalaga (Real Madrid) and Romelu Lukaku (Roma).