Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi is unlikely to be too surprised with the impact Cole Palmer has made at Chelsea this season.
Cole Palmer has easily been Chelsea‘s best player in the current campaign. All things considered, he has arguably been the best player in the Premier League.
In 31 appearances, the attacker has scored 21 goals for Mauricio Pochettino‘s side.
Last time out, Chelsea’s 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest, Palmer registered an assist. It was his 10th of the Premier League season, meaning that he has recorded 31 goal contributions.
TalkSPORT regular Simon Jordan thinks the 22-year-old has gone to “a different level” since April.
Roberto De Zerbi on Cole Palmer
Brighton & Hove Albion host Chelsea at the Amex Stadium, and their manager De Zerbi has revealed that the Seagulls tried to sign Palmer last summer.
De Zerbi says he and the club predicted that the Englishman would go on to become a top player.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, with BBC Sport relaying his words, the Italian said: “We tried to bring him in the transfer market last summer. We thought he could be a top player.
“The qualities of Palmer are clear for everybody, but not when he played for Manchester City. This season he is playing very well, he is scoring a lot of goals.
“The quality of Palmer is very high. He’s a problem for us tomorrow [today] because he can start in the winger position and come inside or [play as] a number 10 as well.”
Could Roberto De Zerbi end up managing Cole Palmer at Chelsea?
De Zerbi could not get his hands on Palmer last summer, but it is not impossible that he coaches the England international one day.
The Brighton boss has actually been linked to Chelsea, with Mauricio Pochettino‘s future at Stamford Bridge far from certain.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, the Argentine is set to have a meeting with Chelsea on Monday about the season and his long-term future at the club.
If Pochettino departs Stamford Bridge, perhaps De Zerbi could come in and be Palmer’s next manager.