Cole Palmer has been criticised by Emmanuel Petit(Image: Getty Images)

I'm an ex-Chelsea star – Cole Palmer has done nothing and is far from world class

23 Oct 2024, 13:01 by Aaron Morris · football.london

Emmanuel Petit claims that Cole Palmer is not a world class player and that he has done nothing yet.

The 54-year-old Frenchman made a name for himself at Stamford Bridge between 2001 and 2004, racking up 76 appearances under Claudio Ranieri. While he was unable to win anything with the Blues, Petit was also a part of Arsene Wenger's 1997/98 Premier League, FA Cup and Charity Shield-winning Arsenal side.

While Enzo Maresca's style of football is incredibly different to that of Ranieri's, Petit has still been paying attention to his former club as they hope to lift their first Premier League title in eight years. Palmer had an impressive maiden season with Chelsea last year, racking up 22 goals and 11 assists from 33 games, and he's showed no signs of slowing down since the 2024/25 campaign got underway.

From Chelsea's eight games of the new season, Palmer has racked up an impressive tally of six goals and five assists, largely part to his dominant display against Brighton last month, in which he put four past Bart Verbruggen in the first half to clinch a 4-2 win. However, Petit doesn't believe that Palmer has shown enough on the pitch to be considered world class just yet, citing how he still has a way to go.

Speaking to Genting Casino, former Blues star Petit said: "Will the hype around Cole Palmer derail his form? No, I don’t think so. Palmer had a very good season last season, but started poorly this season and responded well in September. The media are making so much noise about young talented players.

"Palmer is a very good player but he’s not yet a top international player and that’s the level he needs to reach. He shows promising skills, maturity and personality but he’s done nothing yet if we’re honest and is far from world class at the moment."

Palmer was given his first England call-up by Gareth Southgate in November last year, making his debut as a 61st-minute sub in a 2-0 win over Malta at Wembley. And in June this year, Palmer was named in Southgate's 26-man squad for Euro 2024 in Germany, headed to the tournament in favour of the likes of Jack Grealish and James Maddison.

Unfortunately though, Palmer never quite managed the game time that many fans thought he deserved during the tournament. The 22-year-old came on as a substitute against Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands, before sending a message in the final of the tournament against Spain.

Petit hasn't seen enough from Palmer(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Palmer crossed the touchline 70 minutes into the clash as England were 1-0 down courtesy of a 47th-minute opener from Nico Williams. And it didn't take him long to make his mark, scoring with a thunderous low and hard left-footed shot from outside of the box three minutes after being welcomed to the field.

Spain ultimately won the game and the tournament when Mikel Oyarzabal was picked out by Marc Cucurella – Palmer's Chelsea team-mate – in the centre of the box to poke it past Jordan Pickford with four minutes left to play. However, Palmer certainly made his mark on the England squad throughout the tournament when given the opportunity.

football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel

Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!

Click this link to follow the football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you'll be kept up to date on the latest Blues news wherever you are.

Just remember to turn on the notifications once you've followed, and you won't miss a beat!