Cole Palmer has two goals and two assists in his first four Premier League games, and his own manager thinks he hasn't even warmed up yet. That's either exciting or alarming, depending on which side of Friday's West London derby you're sitting on.
"There's more to come," Xabi Alonso said plainly this week. "We can expect more from Cole." Coming from a manager two months into the job who's still learning his squad, that reads less like encouragement and more like a genuine observation — Palmer arrived at preseason with something to prove, and it's showing.
A summer off that actually worked
The context matters here. Palmer spent much of 2025/26 managing a persistent groin problem, missed the World Cup entirely, and was handed his first full summer off as a professional. Most players come back rusty from that kind of break. Palmer came back sharp.
He's now part of a Chelsea attacking trio — alongside Morgan Rogers and João Pedro — that no Premier League defence has fully contained. At least one of the three has scored in every league fixture so far. That's the kind of consistent output that moves title betting conversations, and Chelsea's attack currently ranks second in the division for output. The defence, conceding nine in four, is a different story.
Alonso acknowledged it directly: "In defence we can do better. We need to find the right balance. Not to concede that many goals." Nine goals against in four games isn't a blip — it's a pattern that needs addressing, and no amount of Palmer magic covers a backline leaking that freely over a full season.
The England question
Thomas Tuchel is due to name his England squad on Friday, the same day Chelsea travel to Brentford. Palmer is waiting on a recall after being left out for the World Cup. Alonso, diplomatically, stepped back from the conversation: "We will see tomorrow, it's not my call."
What he did offer was this: "England will come... that will come naturally because he's a top, top-level player. The main thing for him is to feel good." Palmer, by all accounts, does. The Nations League fixtures against Spain, Czech Republic, and Croatia are approaching, and Tuchel needs attacking players who are actually in form. The argument for Palmer picks itself right now.
"Cole is a special guy," Alonso added. High praise from a manager still building the relationship — and a decent sign that whatever comes next, the partnership has a solid base to work from.
