Florent Malouda’s take on Alejandro Garnacho and Cole Palmer now sounds even more absurd

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There is no beating around the bush here, Alejandro Garnacho’s first season at Chelsea was disastrous.

In fact, it was so disastrous that it may actually end up being both his first and last at Stamford Bridge.

It is in stark contrast to Cole Palmer’s debut campaign, when the attacking midfielder recorded an astonishing 40 goal contributions in 45 games.

Chelsea could now sell Garnacho, a scenario that former Blue Florent Malouda would not have seen coming 12 months ago.

Former Chelsea star Florent Malouda gets Alejandro Garnacho and Cole Palmer comparison completely wrong

Shortly after Garnacho signed for Chelsea from Manchester United, Malouda tipped the winger to follow in Palmer’s footsteps.

As Malouda discussed Garnacho’s move to Chelsea, the retired France international said: “Alejandro Garnacho has talent and could follow the Cole Palmer trajectory, he even has a similar price tag. It’s about delivering, unlike Jadon Sancho who wasn’t able to show his talent and make a difference.

“What you expect from a player like Garnacho is how he’s able to be consistent in performance and have an impact.”

• READ MORE: What Jamie Gittens can learn from Alejandro Garnacho’s disastrous campaign

While there is no denying that Garnacho has talent, it did not shine through last season. In 43 appearances, he scored eight goals.

The majority of his strikes came in cup competitions, with the 22-year-old only managing to net once in 24 Premier League outings.

Palmer in his debut campaign at Chelsea was able to score 22 goals in the English top flight.

Garnacho has enough talent and years left in his career to turn things around. But it is fair to say that Malouda got this one wrong.

Alejandro Garnacho’s and Cole Palmer’s 2025/26 stats compared

By his high standards, the 2025/26 season was a disappointing one for Palmer. However, he still managed to reach double figures for goals, scoring 11 times in 34 appearances.

That was higher than Garnacho’s tally, but the Argentina international was able to register more assists. He provided four, while Palmer registered three. Only one came in the Premier League.

According to WhoScored, Garnacho also completed more key passes per game, 1.2 to Palmer’s 0.8. Neither player reached an average of 1.0 for dribbles.

All in all, for Garnacho, Palmer and Chelsea as a whole, the 2025/26 campaign was truly a forgettable one.