Cole Palmer has insisted Chelsea will soon thrive under Mauricio Pochettino and revealed how the manager has urged his players to “stick together” amid external criticism.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital haver spent more than £1 billion ($1.1b) on players since completing their takeover of the club in May 2022, but they are yet to win a trophy and sit in 11th place on the Premier League table.
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Last month’s Carabao Cup Final defeat to Liverpool led Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to describe Chelsea as “billion-pound bottle jobs” as condemnation grows over the perceived lack of progress at Stamford Bridge.
“I feel like you guys don’t see it every day on the training pitch, what we do,” Palmer told ESPN at last week’s London Football Awards.
“On a Saturday, if we don’t get a result then it is all ‘Chelsea’s this, Chelsea’s that’ which I understand because obviously football can be like that but I think what we’re building, the fans will see what we’re doing.
“The manager has said to us — and the players are not stupid — we see every day what the fans say and stuff so he’s said to us stick together, you believe in us, the players believe in the manager as well and eventually we’ll see it.”
Despite the collective issues at Chelsea, Palmer has enjoyed a fine individual campaign to date, registering 12 goals and 10 assists in 30 appearances following a £42.5 million move from Manchester City.
The 21-year-old’s form was recognised with the Young Player of the Year prize at the London Football Awards last Thursday.
Palmer left City after Pep Guardiola refused to sanction a loan move so he could play regularly and the winger has revealed why he chose to join Chelsea.
“[It was] the project that they said to me,” Palmer said.
“I understood it. I saw a vision of what they were trying to do. You could see with the players they were buying.
“People thought ‘oh there’s a load of players there, you’re not going to play there, there’s a load of players coming or going, it’s a mess’ but I thought what they explained to me was good. So when I had the chance to go, I thought I’d go.”
Palmer made his England debut in November and has been tipped to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s squad for the European Championship in Germany later this year.
Asked whether the tournament would come too soon for him or if he viewed it as a realistic target, Palmer replied: “I’m not too sure. I’m just trying to take each game as it comes and if I get picked for the Euros, it would be amazing.”