Cole Palmer did Chelsea proud by finishing eighth in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
Following Monday night’s ceremony in Paris, many fans were surprised at Cole Palmer’s ranking. Some pleasantly, some not.
It’s some achievement from Chelsea’s star man, becoming the first player since Neymar to make the top ten in the Ballon d’Or without Champions League football.
In the aftermath, the top ten were being compared on a number of different metrics, and one had Palmer dead last.
Palmer’s salary at Chelsea is dwarfed by those of his fellow nominees.
Chelsea fans react to Cole Palmer salary comparison
Palmer earns a measly £6 million per year at Chelsea.
Yes, that’s sarcasm. But really, all preconceived notions of what a large amount of money is need to be pushed to the side for this conversation.
The fact of the matter is that Palmer’s salary is far lower than the rest of the top ten, and Chelsea fans have noticed the discrepancy.
This fan is straight to panic: “Increase his wages or he leaves.”
Echoed by another concerned fan: “This club need to do something about his wages.”
This Chelsea supporter doesn’t see Palmer being happy with his current deal for long: “I see Palmer leaving in the future, probably before he turns 25-26.”
Another fan agrees: “Last in wages, third in market value. Chelsea is playing with fire with this payment structure. All it takes is an outrageous wage from PSG, Madrid or City, and he is gone.”
“We don’t value this Palmer guy enough”, says one melancholy-sounding fan.
Another chimes in: “We treat Cole Palmer really badly tbh.”
That Palmer is on a long contract isn’t easing the minds of Chelsea fans, who have seen this summer how fickle a contract can be if a player wants out.
Chelsea need to exercise caution with their wage structure
Chelsea have completely restructured as a football club since BlueCo took the helm.
Their aggressive but sustainable transfer strategy isn’t the only way their approach differs. They also structure their wages differently to other top clubs.
New signings are given long contracts and a lower salary, with performance-based incentives offering the potential of a pay rise.
That’s all well and good, but what happens when a player ages out of such an arrangement? They begin drawing comparisons to players of similar quality earning double or triple their salary at other clubs.
Palmer is reaching a level where the £130,000 per week he receives isn’t going to be enough. While you would be right to point out that the Englishman is under contract until 2033, that won’t prevent him from growing dissatisfied, and ultimately, performing worse.
Chelsea will need to be willing to accept paying a higher salary to Palmer than what their stringent policy suggests. It doesn’t account for the magic he can produce on a football pitch.
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