Glen Johnson doesn’t think Mauricio Pochettino is utilising £40m Chelsea player properly

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Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson wants to see Mauricio Pochettino play Cole Palmer in a different position.

Cole Palmer has really impressed for Chelsea this season following his move from Manchester City. In nine Premier League appearances, he has scored four goals and provided two assists.

However, Glen Johnson has suggested in an interview with Squawka that Mauricio Pochettino would actually get more out of him if he changed his position.

The 21-year-old is a No.10 but has been playing as a right winger recently. Chelsea paid City £40m to acquire his services, as reported by Sky Sports, which is now starting to look like a real bargain.

Cole Palmer better as a No.10

Johnson wants to see Palmer play behind the striker instead of on the wing.

Speaking to Squawka, the retired England international said: “I prefer to see him in the middle, behind the striker. At the moment, I don’t think he’s quick or strong enough to be isolated one on one with defenders and is best receiving it on the half turn and being clever with his passes into strikers.

“He’s the sort of player strikers love to play with, but I don’t think that he’s the kind of player a full-back hates to play against one on one on. He’s intelligent and can play through the lines in the middle, and that’s where he should be used by Chelsea.”

Where should Cole Palmer play for Chelsea?

Palmer’s best position probably is just behind the No.9. He does not quite have the pace of Raheem Sterling or Mykhailo Mudryk, for example, but what the England international does possess is creativity, the kind No.10s need.

In Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford last month, where Palmer had more of a central role, he made four key passes. It was the most in the game, according to WhoScored.

With all of that being said, Palmer has had no trouble performing from the right, and he has obviously been given permission from Pochettino to come inside and take up more central positions on the pitch.

In this day and age, forward lines, especially those of the top teams, are quite flexible and fluid. So Palmer’s starting position may not actually be that important.

All that matters is that he performs, and that is what the England player has done since arriving at Stamford Bridge. It has not gone unnoticed either with a lot of pundits, including Jamie O’Hara, hailing his form this season.