Tony Cascarino has paid tribute to Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer for the impact he had at this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament.
Spain beat England 2-1 in Sunday’s final as Marc Cucurella was crowned a European champion, even providing the match-winning assist himself. Unfortunately, he had to beat some Chelsea teammates to win the trophy.
Palmer, along with Blues man Conor Gallagher, had to be content with a runners-up medal.
For Palmer, he had the frustration of not starting a single England match during the Euros. Chelsea fans weren’t surprised to see him impact games whenever he was substituted on, including in the final when he scored a great goal from outside the box.
Speaking via the ‘Richard Keys blog’, Richard Keys called Palmer England’s best player, so is stunned he didn’t get more minutes at the tournament.
Tony Cascarino claims Cole Palmer was the best super sub
Cascarino says Palmer was the best individual at the Euro 2024 tournament in terms of making an impact off the bench. He had plenty of practice because he was substituted on five times by England.
He wrote in The Times: “But when England did need impetus they found it from the substitutes’ bench, notably from Cole Palmer.
“If there was an award for ‘sub of the tournament’ then the Chelsea player would surely have won it. He had an impact on all five occasions when he was thrown on in Germany and not just after he had taken a while to warm up.
“He contributed more or less from the moment he crossed the white line, not least during the final, when he equalised only three minutes after he was introduced.”
It should be the complete opposite at Chelsea
Unlike with England, Palmer should be the first name on the team sheet at Stamford Bridge.
When new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is building his starting XI for the upcoming season, surely Palmer must be integral to any plans.
He showed during last season with the Blues his true quality. It’s why he ended up with 25 goals and 15 assists in only 45 appearances for the club across the competitions. Can he now follow it up during his second year with Chelsea?
Journalist Simon Phillips reported on his Substack in June that Maresca plans to play Palmer centrally next season. In fact, Palmer and Christopher Nkunku are viewed as No 10s by the Chelsea boss.
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