Nedum Onuoha has just admitted that he got one thing completely wrong when it comes to Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer.
Palmer, 22, had an up and down summer with England at Euro 2024. Unfortunately, it ended on Sunday with the Three Lions losing 2-1 to Spain in the final.
Chelsea are certainly very lucky to have the left-footed attacker in their squad. He may not started a single match at the Euros tournament, but he still produced some magical moments off the bench for runners-up England.
For example, Palmer scored his spot-kick during the penalty shootout win over Switzerland in the quarter-finals. Plus, the Blues attacker netted an equalising goal for England in the final, albeit his side did still lose inside 90 minutes.
During an interview with ITV after the final, Rodri predicted Palmer will be a top player for many years to come.
Nedum Onuoha thought Cole Palmer hype would die down
BBC pundit Onuoha has admitted that he thought the form of Chelsea’s Palmer would slow down after a quick start to his career at Stamford Bridge last season. He got that completely wrong!
Instead, the left-footed playmaker went from strength to strength during a remarkable debut season with the Blues. He scored 25 goals in only 45 games for the West London club. This has been followed up by significant impacts on the international stage with England, too.
“I will be honest. Cole Palmer is amazing,” Onuoha told BBC Radio 5 Live (7:41pm, 15 July).
“This last year, I watched him, at the start of the season, I thought maybe it will die away. I think he is amazing. Genuinely.”
Gareth Southgate successor needs to find room for Chelsea star
It’s certainly wasn’t an easy task trying to cram England’s talented players at the Euros into an XI. The fact that Palmer started zero of these seven matches can’t be right, though.
Gareth Southgate confirmed via England’s official website on Tuesday that he’s officially leaving the role of national team boss after 102 games in charge.
Regardless of who succeeds him in the dugout, Palmer needs a greater role for England if his form continues in this vein.
Jason Cundy called Palmer a “superstar” via talkSPORT recently. He’s certainly well on his way to becoming just that.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Chelsea attacker copes with the extra attention that will surely be on him in the 2024/25 season.
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