Opinion

One of Chelsea’s top players is now the most underappreciated footballer at the club

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Understandably, Chelsea duo Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez received a lot of praise last season.

They were two of Chelsea’s best players and finished the campaign as the team’s two top scorers.

Real Madrid are now interested in signing Fernandez, but the above is one reason why the Blues should be doing everything they can to keep hold of him.

The season before, Cole Palmer was the one receiving all of the plaudits. However, he was far from his best last term and came in for criticism instead.

Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro of Chelsea
Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images

Cole Palmer is now underappreciated

Palmer, Pedro and Fernandez are three of Chelsea’s best players, but in contrast to the two South Americans, Palmer’s stock has really fallen over these past 12 months.

Thomas Tuchel did not think he was even worthy of a place in a 26-man England squad for the World Cup.

Chelsea are said to have seven untouchable players in their dressing room, and The Chelsea Chronicle recently asked supporters to rank them.

A couple did not even include the attacking midfielder in their top five! Yes, Palmer was very underwhelming during the 2025/26 campaign, but at this point, it now feels as though he is being underappreciated, especially among the Chelsea fan base.

Where would you rank Palmer on Chelsea’s list of untouchables? You can see who the seven untouchables are and have a go at ranking the least to most important below:

How would you rank Chelsea’s so-called “untouchables” ahead of the new season?

Here is The Chelsea Chronicle's list!

7. Josh Acheampong

6. Estevao Willian

5. Levi Colwill

4. Moises Caicedo

3. Joao Pedro

2. Reece James

1. Cole Palmer

Players of Chelsea pose
Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images

Chelsea fans shouldn’t dismiss Cole Palmer’s first two seasons

Everyone is starting to forget the fact that Palmer is still only 24 and had two amazing campaigns at Chelsea after joining from Manchester City. He is allowed to have one bad year.

His first season saw him score 25 goals and provide 15 assists in 45 appearances. The year after, he produced 32 goal contributions in all competitions and helped Chelsea to win the Club World Cup and Conference League.

It now feels like all of that has been forgotten. While Palmer does deserve criticism for how much his level dropped last term, the England international still needs to be appreciated for what he has done overall and what he can still bring.