I've worked with Cole Palmer - there's a reason I'm not surprised by Chelsea heroics

Former striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has named as the most impressive player in the this season, and says it’s no surprise the 22-year-old is flourishing for both club and country.

’s side have had a reasonably strong start to the 2024/25 campaign with five wins from their opening nine league games. Ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, they sit fifth in the table, and just six points behind leaders .

Palmer has been the standout performer for Chelsea throughout the first few months of the season. He has scored seven goals and registered five assists in nine league starts so far, which places him third in the race for the golden boot at this early stage.

The attacking midfielder has also impressed for over the last 12 months, and he started both of their Nations League matches against Greece and Finland earlier this month. Hasselbaink worked closely with Palmer during his time as a coach of the England national team, alongside former manager , and the Dutchman insists the Chelsea star has been one of the standout performers this season.

When asked by which Premier League player in recent weeks, Hasselbaink replied: “I was at the Chelsea game [against Newcastle at the weekend. When you watch Chelsea, you see Cole Palmer doing some exceptional, one-touch things with the defender on his back. Cole Palmer is the master of taking a touch and then spinning away.

“He plays with total freedom. You don’t know what he’s going to do. That pass that he played for [Pedro] Neto was absolutely unreal. Those are the things that he can do, there is no limit in his game.

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“I’m not surprised, obviously I’ve seen him up close with England and worked with him on a daily basis, but when he does something special, when he finds a pass that only he can see, you’re watching him and thinking ‘Wow. I didn’t think that that pass was possible.’

“It’s nice to see him continuing to flourish. He’s a really, really nice kid who just loves to play football. I’m really enjoying watching him at the moment.“

Palmer is a product of the Manchester City academy, and he made over 40 senior appearances for the club before his departure in the summer of 2023. He joined Chelsea from the Manchester club for a fee of £42.5million, and he has been an integral player ever since.

Last season, under , Palmer scored 27 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions. He was named Chelsea’s player of the year for 2023/24, and his performances forced himself into Southgate’s plans for earlier this summer.

Palmer featured in five of England’s seven games in Germany, scoring once and registering one assist. His goal came in the final to equalise against Spain, but the Three Lions went on to concede a late goal as they suffered a 2-1 defeat.