'A lovely ball-carrier': Pundit thinks £45m Chelsea player's dribbling was so good this season

Chelsea have a lot of talented attackers in their squad right now.

That includes the likes of Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk.

Palmer’s talent, especially, was clear for everyone to see this season. The 22-year-old was exceptional in attack for Chelsea, scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists in 45 appearances under former manager Mauricio Pochettino.

With Palmer, Madueke and Mudryk 23 or under, they also have time to improve.

It is what the new Chelsea boss, who is expected to be Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca, will be hoping to help them do.

Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images

Pundit thinks Chelsea have ‘lovely ball-carrier’ at the club

Chelsea have some really good dribblers in their squad, including Madueke.

As per FBref, the winger has ranked in the 98th percentile for progressive carries and the 93rd for successful take-ons among his positional peers over the last year.

However, former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke has been talking up Palmer’s ability on the ball after naming him in his one-player-per-club Team of the Season.

Discussing Palmer’s inclusion on the Premier League’s official website, Clarke said: “The 22-year-old was a revelation, carrying the Blues for much of the campaign with his 22 goals and 11 assists.

“Ice-cold in front of goal, bright in his movement, a lovely ball-carrier and seemingly unfazed by pressure, Palmer is a serious talent. He is one of the signings of the season – and a must pick in this team.”

Cole Palmer’s dribbling underrated

Because of how many goals Palmer has scored and set up this season and the fact that he probably does not attempt as many dribbles as someone like Madueke, it does feel like the Englishman’s ability to beat players has gone under the radar a bit.

The way he skinned Diogo Dalot in Chelsea’s 4-3 win against Manchester United in April is just one example of him being able to do the above, while his average of 1.6 dribbles per league game was actually the joint-best in the Blues’ squad alongside Madueke, according to WhoScored.

He is some attacker and having cost Chelsea just £45m last summer, the former Manchester City man has also proven to be quite the bargain.