When Chelsea confirmed a £42.5m deal to sign Cole Palmer from Manchester City in September 1, 2023, even his most passionate supporters could not have predicted how the next 12 months would go.
The young midfielder had managed 41 appearances for Manchester City – by no means an insignificant number – but his total of just three Premier League starts suggested Chelsea had picked up a player whose best years were a long, long way into the future.
And yet, here we are, celebrating what feels like the birth of a new Chelsea icon.
To say Palmer has exceeded expectations would be an understatement. The 22-year-old is the talisman of his new team already and has been quietly establishing himself as a key player for England, having netted an equaliser in the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Perhaps the most impressive exploit to date came in the 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Not only did the Blues’ newest starboy net all four, but he did so before the half-time whistle sounded – a feat never-before accomplished in the Premier League.
In just 39 games, Palmer has racked up three Premier League hat-tricks for Chelsea, which is actually a club record.
39 games. Three hat-tricks.
For comparison, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink managed just three hat-tricks in 136 outings. Didier Drogba, perhaps the greatest striker in club history, couldn’t find a fourth across his 254 games. All-time top scorer Frank Lampard, a more reserved midfielder than Palmer, only scored three in his 429 appearances.
Lampard averaged a hat-trick every 143 games. Palmer is currently averaging one every 13 games. Two of those hat-tricks actually ended up as four-goal hauls as well. The mind boggles at the thought of him maintaining this pace over the remainder of his nine-year contract.
Palmer is already a fan-favourite, and the early signs of life under new boss Enzo Maresca suggest the 22-year-old is only just getting started. He does, as many predicted in 2023, have his best years ahead of him, but if this is a prelude to Palmer’s final form, the Stamford Bridge faithful could have a new legend to immortalise on The Shed Wall.
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