Axel Disasi has shared details of the conversation he had with Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer before the recent Premier League win over Newcastle United.
Chelsea beat Newcastle 3-2 at Stamford Bridge on Monday night to earn them three vital league points, which keeps them in the fight for the European positions.
Cole Palmer was yet again a standout performer for the Blues by scoring and assisting. In fact, the 21-year-old attacker now has 13 Chelsea goals and counting since last summer’s arrival from Manchester City.
Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham is the only Under-21 player in Europe that can match Palmer for this season’s tally of combined goals and assists.
Blues centre-back Axel Disasi, who started the Newcastle victory, also celebrated his 26th birthday on the same day.
He’s explained that he asked Palmer to score for him as a birthday gift, something he went ahead and did in some style with a low hard finish from outside the box.
“For the game [against Newcastle], I told him that he had to score for my birthday. That’s why I said thank you for the gift,” Disasi told BBC Sport.
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Cole Palmer promises goals
Chelsea’s issue with finding a prolific goalscorer has been well documented for a few years now, but Palmer’s on his way to break the 20-goal barrier this season as an attacking playmaker.
If you count his two Man City goals back in August during the Super Cup final and Community Shield final, it’s 15 goals across all competitions so far during the 2023/24 campaign.
It’s been refreshing to watch the Chelsea youngster take it upon himself to provide the bulk of his team’s goals, whether that’s by scoring or assisting.
He’s a very composed and clinical finisher on his left foot, so we back him for several more this term.
We still think Chelsea need to bring in a clinical 25-goal striker next season if possible, but the importance of Palmer to this group can’t be stressed enough.
