Gianfranco Zola believes that Chelsea youngster Cole Palmer could be a future Ballon D’Or winner, but he’s just given him a piece of advice on where to improve his game.
Cole Palmer, 22, has done incredible things since his move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023.
The English attacker’s debut season with the Blues last year was phenomenal, which helped him finish 25th in yesterday’s Ballon D’Or individual rankings. He’s followed it up with a stellar start to this new season, too.
So far, Palmer has seven goals and five assists in nine Premier League games this term.
Palmer recently matched an Eden Hazard record, winning the Premier League’s Player of the Month for the second time in his career.
Gianfranco Zola on where Cole Palmer can improve
Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola thinks that Palmer can get even better as a player if he improves his physique.
The 22-year-old playmaker, who’s thriving in a central number 10 position, is the creative genius for his side. We don’t ever really see him be physically bullied because he’s intelligent with his movement, but it’s fair to acknowledge his frame isn’t the biggest.
“He (Palmer) needs to work a lot on his game, of course, because he is still young and there are things that can make him better,” Zola told The Mirror.
“One thing for sure he can work on is his physique. He can get a little bit faster and maybe a little bit stronger in one-on-ones. I know his mind is very quick. He will have to get his body a little bit quicker. But seeing him when he first played for Chelsea and seeing him now, I can see how much ground he has covered, I can see him also covering other ground.
“And if he does that, he can be in contention for the Ballon D’Or because the numbers and the skills are there. There is still work to do but potentially he can do that. He has a very, very good coach to work with in [Enzo] Maresca and I am he will make sure he works on that.”
Two big games coming up for Cole Palmer
Palmer did receive a small bit of criticism for a rare quiet display in Chelsea’s recent defeat to Liverpool. So, he must be desperate to bounce back and make a real statement in the big fixtures.
Interestingly, Enzo Maresca’s side have two eye-catching league games before November’s international break.
The Blues travel to Old Trafford this weekend to face a Manchester United side that just sacked Erik ten Hag. Afterwards, they host London rivals Arsenal on 10 November.
Palmer’s proven in his short senior career so far that he’s capable of special moments in the biggest games, but there’s definitely still levels he can go through to reach the very top.
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