Mario Melchiot shares the one major concern he has about Chelsea star Cole Palmer going into the new season

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There is going to be a lot of expectation on Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer this season after the campaign he had last term.

Cole Palmer could not stop scoring and creating goals for Chelsea following his move from Manchester City.

In 45 games for the Blues, he scored 25 goals and provided 15 assists, so there will be pressure for him to deliver this season.

Darren Bent has already questioned Palmer and whether he can replicate those figures again in the 2024/25 campaign.

• READ MORE: £45m Chelsea star was the most clinical Premier League player from big chances last season

Mario Melchiot’s warning for Cole Palmer

Palmer was a bit of an unknown prospect when he arrived at Chelsea, with the 22-year-old having not played too often at City.

However, former Chelsea player Mario Melchiot has warned Palmer that defenders will now know what to expect and will try to stop him.

Speaking on talkSPORT (13/08/2024 at 08:13), Melchiot said: “He is a great talent. Last season he was a joy to watch. He had freedom. He had the feeling that I want to expose myself in the sense of like, ‘I want to prove to you guys how good I am’, and I think that was his key thing.

“I think this season it will be different for him. Why? Because we expect it. People also expect to face him that he is going to play like that, so they are going to try to stop him.”

Enzo Maresca will be tasked with trying to get the best out of Palmer, just like Mauricio Pochettino did. Having already worked with him before, Maresca is aware of Palmer’s quality and will now be looking to really tap into it.

Cole Palmer’s position for the 2024/25 season

It is going to be really interesting to see where the Chelsea manager plays Palmer this season.

The Englishman was used on the right often last term, but the club have since bought Pedro Neto, who can also play there.

Ultimately, it may come down to what system Maresca uses. If he plays with a 4-3-3, then you would expect Palmer to continue on the right. In a 4-2-3-1, there is the option of Palmer starting in the No.10 role.

One thing that is certain is Palmer will definitely be playing. He is Chelsea’s best player so is a guaranteed starter.

The England international is one of many exciting attacking options at Stamford Bridge. It is a good problem for Maresca to have.