Cole Palmer: Can the Chelsea midfielder win the Premier League Golden Boot?
- Could Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer emerge as a contender for the Premier League Golden Boot? Explore the possibilities as his stellar performances spark speculation in the football world.
Alan Smith, a former striker for Arsenal, stated as much on Sky Sports about Cole Palmer of Chelsea, the midfielder who scored four goals in his team’s 6-0 thumping of Everton.
Palmer was outstanding; he tied Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot after scoring a hat-trick in just 29 minutes and his 20th Premier League goal of the year in the second half.
Palmer, a 21-year-old who came from Manchester City to Chelsea this summer, had never scored a goal in the league, making it all the more amazing.
Palmer is tied with Alexander Isak of Newcastle with nine assists from his 28 Premier League games this season, a 33% opportunity conversion rate, and a 67% high shot accuracy. Each of the two forwards in form scores a goal around every 104 minutes of play.
After seven months, the England player might be on track to be the division’s highest scorer by the end.
From main man to super sub
Palmer stated to BBC Sport back in November that he relocated to west London from his childhood club in quest of “regular game time”.
Only seven of his 25 appearances for Manchester City during the previous season were starts. On the other hand, he has already scored 25 goals this season from an amazing 43 games.
The £42 million move appears to have paid off for Palmer’s employers as well. He is a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team and has scored more league goals for the Blues than any other player since Diego Costa did so in 2016–17.
Chelsea has seven league games left to go.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said BBC Match of the Day, “You expect him to perform well, but he’s performing fantastically and doing amazing for the team.” “I’m happy for him to score four goals.”
Palmer scored the fastest Premier League ‘perfect’ hat-trick since Gracenote began collecting data on the league in 2008–09 with his first three goals, which he accomplished with skill and precision with his left foot, head, and right foot.
After performing a one-two with teammate Nicolas Jackson and nutmegging Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, he scored the goal in the thirteenth minute with a stunning effort into the bottom corner.
He scored his second goal five minutes later, heading in a rebound after Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had stopped a Jackson effort.
Midway through the first half, he finished the hat-trick in style, snagging the England goalkeeper from 40 yards out after picking off a misplaced pass from Pickford.
He also scored his fourth goal with ease from the penalty spot after winning one after the restart.
“Everything goes by so quickly,” Palmer said to Sky Sports. “The first one was my favourite, my right foot was a bit of a swinger!”
Palmer may be hinting at some luck, but his four goals give the Manchester native some fairly impressive stats right now:
Following Didier Drogba in May/August 2010, Palmer became the first Chelsea player to score a hat-trick in the first half of a Premier League match and only the second player to score a hat-trick in back-to-back home Premier League appearances for the team.
At Stamford Bridge, he became the first player from Chelsea to score in seven straight Premier League games.
He is only the third player for Chelsea to score 20 goals or more in his first Premier League season, following Diego Costa (20 goals in 2014–15) and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (23 goals in 2000–01).
Not only has he scored on all nine of his Premier League penalties, but in the competition’s history, only Yaya Toure (11/11) has had a higher 100% conversion record from the spot.
Palmer may have the golden boot, but who could?
Erling Haaland is the obvious choice; he scored 36 goals in 35 games last season, setting a record. However, Haaland is struggling right now—he has only scored two goals in his last eight games for City and Norway. Palmer and Haaland have scored one goal more than Ollie Watkins. His 19 goals tie Christian Benteke’s record from 2012–13 as the joint most ever during an Aston Villa Premier League season. Mohamed Salah, a forward for Liverpool and three-time Golden Boot winner, is three goals off the top. With 17 goals, Salah is now level with Dominic Solanke of Bournemouth and Alexander Isak of Newcastle. With 15 strikes apiece, Son Heung-min of Tottenham and Jarrod Bowen of West Ham are outsiders. Palmer has scored 11 goals in his last six games across all competitions, making him the most prolific goal scorer in the league. Who would turn on him?
“Palmer for the English?” – Mark, you said: Alright, raise your hands. Who among you had Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins up there competing for the golden boot? Not at all?
Bill: Is it really so cheap for Southgate to leave Palmer home? Palmer moving into the midfield with Rice trailing Foden and Bellingham?
Andrew: Harry Kane’s replacement for England may be Cole Palmer. When he hits the mark, he is so clinical. Oh, and he’s a penalty taker.
Josh: So Cole Palmer is playing for England?
Nick: Phil Foden should be the focal point of the England team, everyone seems to agree. When do we start discussing how to construct it around Cole Palmer, who is succeeding despite playing for a team that lacks the talent that Manchester City has surrounding him?
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