‘No disrespect’… Paul Merson claims 21-year-old Chelsea player isn’t a natural finisher

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Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer isn’t a natural finisher when he’s in front of goal.

That is according to Paul Merson.

Cole Palmer, 21, has been the standout Blues player at Stamford Bridge since his arrival from Manchester City last summer.

The left-footed attacker has made so many key contributions going forward, scoring nine goals and making seven assists in 22 Chelsea appearances across all competitions.

However, there’s been a suggestion that the England star isn’t a natural goalscorer.

Merson has explained that he’s a massive admirer of Chelsea’s Palmer, but he did highlight one potential weakness in his game.

He told Sky Sports: “Cole Palmer just had one of those days in the first game [against Middlesbrough]. He’s a top player and I don’t look at that performance and go: ‘he can’t do it at the top level’.

“He got in the positions but he’s not a natural finisher. No disrespect to him but when he went through one-on-one and dragged it past the post, that’s normal. It just showed it didn’t fall at his feet the other day.”

Cole Palmer finishing

For once, we’re not quite on the same wavelength as Merson.

We think Palmer’s shown great composure in front of goal this season in patches. BBC record he’s got a 60 per cent shooting accuracy and 21 per cent goal conversation rate this year.

It’s fair to highlight that Chelsea’s forward did have a rare off-night earlier this month in the 1-0 cup defeat away to Middlesbrough, wasting a couple of fantastic opportunities to score. Could you imagine where Mauricio Pochettino’s side may be without him, though?

It’s a great chance for the Blues playmaker to redeem himself in tonight’s Carabao Cup second leg tie at home to Boro, where they’re bidding to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

Speaking via ESPN in January, Frank Leboeuf claimed Palmer is the one Chelsea player giving him hope this season. We’re confident that the 21-year-old’s finishing and overall game is only going to keep better as he progresses with more experience.