Pat Nevin claims he’s not surprised by what’s happened to £45m Chelsea player

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Pat Nevin say he’s not shocked to see Chelsea’s Cole Palmer receive his maiden call-up to England’s senior squad.

Cole Palmer, who’s been in excellent form this season for his new club, is currently away on international duty with England.

The £45million attacker (Evening Standard) is emerging as a key player for Chelsea, scoring four goals and making four assists in 11 games since his summer arrival. This has lead to the decision from Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate to promote him from England’s Under-21s.

Palmer uploaded a post on Instagram after his senior England call-up, which received responses from both Jesse Lingard and Jack Grealish.

Pat Nevin was confident

Nevin has been pretty certain about Palmer’s individual talent for a little while now. Therefore, his England call-up is no surprise to him.

He told BBC Sport: “There were so many fine performances on both sides, but two weeks ago I wrote on these pages that Cole Palmer is the closest thing I have seen to Kevin de Bruyne, having thought that since I first saw him play at City. His performance and that last minute nerveless penalty was more proof again.

“He has since been called into the England squad before Raheem Sterling. Many are surprised, I’m not.”

Huge chance for Cole Palmer

Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham should be one of the first names in the England XI next summer at the Euro 2024 tournament. As for Tottenham’s James Maddison, he should be a banker for a spot on the plane.

However, the high-profile duo are both missing this England camp through injury, which has opened the door for Chelsea’s young sensation.

Hopefully, Palmer gets an opportunity to make his debut and play in either of the the next two games in the upcoming week. England host Malta on Friday night before travelling to North Macedonia on Monday.

If the attacking midfielder can impress Southgate in the next week, plus keep his Chelsea form up this season, perhaps he can sneak on to the plane for the Euros.

Speaking via England’s X account this week, Southgate said he’s looking at Palmer as an option for the No 10 position. We certainly think he can play some of his best football in that role.