Cole Palmer: From Man City’s bench warmer to EPL player of the season contender

From being a bench warmer for Manchester City to becoming a superstar at Chelsea and a serious contender for the Premier League Player of the Season award, Cole Palmer has undergone an incredible turnaround. He has been nominated for the coveted award after an outstanding debut season with Chelsea.

Palmer’s rise to the top has been absolutely amazing. He has demonstrated his value with his remarkable skill set and commitment, going from struggling to break into Manchester City’s star-studded senior team lineup even after captaining the club’s under-18s team to becoming an important player for Chelsea.

He has become an invaluable member of the Blues thanks to his ability to control the pace of the game, distribute passes, and create scoring opportunities for his teammates.

In just his first season with the London team, the 21-year-old became the first Blues player to score 20 goals in the league since Diego Costa in 2016–17 and the first to record 20 goals in all competitions since Eden Hazard in 2018–19. His goal involvement rate of a goal or assist in every 120 minutes is so high that it even beats that of some the league’s most prolific players.

The young English man’s impressive form has seen him pickup the Chelsea Player and Players’ Player of the Year awards already, and now he’s also been nominated for both the Young Player of the Year awards and the Premier League Player of the Year alongside other top players like Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Virgil van Dijk, Ollie Watkins, and Alexander Isak.

Palmer struggled to crack into Manchester City’s all-star lineup just a season ago, frequently being left off the pitch or only making brief appearances. Even with his extraordinary talent, he appeared destined to remain a bright young player in the background at Etihad Stadium.

However, his high-profile move to Chelsea on the final day of the summer transfer window in 2023 has proven to be the beginning of his greatness.

The teenage Englishman has been absolutely brilliant this season, missing only one game due to injury. Chelsea is now firmly in the race for a Champions League spot thanks to his brilliant play, which has moved the Blues up the table. Since September 30th, when he arrived at Stamford Bridge, Cole Palmer has been a regular, scoring 21 goals in 30 Premier League matches. Only behind Erling Haaland who has 25 goals.

Palmer has always been available this season to help Mauricio Pochettino’s team fight for European qualification, missing only one game due to injury.

The Premier League Player of the Season award will be determined by a combination of public votes and expert panel decisions; the winner will be announced on May 18 regardless of the outcome of the public vote, which ends on May 13 and even if he loses the award, his incredible journey from a bench warmer to a nominee for Player of the Season is an evidence to his talents and hard work.

Read also: Haaland, Saka, Palmer… Full list of EPL young player of the season award nominees