Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot thinks there is too much of a burden on Cole Palmer right now.
Palmer is arguably Chelsea‘s best player and had a good 2024/25 season overall. In 37 league appearances, he scored 15 goals and provided eight assists.
However, his form in the second half of the campaign was nowhere near as strong as it was in the first half.
Enzo Maresca continues to give Palmer freedom on the pitch, which benefits the attacking midfielder as he roams into threatening positions. But Melchiot thinks he needs more help, which has to come from a teammate or two.
Mario Melchiot wants to see Pedro Neto do more
Pedro Neto scored a fantastic goal in Chelsea’s first game of the Club World Cup, a 2-0 win against Los Angeles FC.
Retired midfielder Michael Brown lauded Neto during the match, describing the piece of skill he used just before dispatching his chance as “real quality”.
He only managed to score four goals in the Premier League last season, though, and Melchiot has now called for the 25-year-old and Chelsea’s other wingers to start scoring more goals to make Palmer’s life easier.
Speaking on ESPN after Chelsea’s game versus LAFC, Melchiot said: “The football that they try to play and the creative side is all focused on him. And when everything is focused on one individual, sometimes when he loses rhythm, it becomes a problem then and I think this is what Chelsea had last season.
“This season, I feel like I was also asking for the wingers to chip in and score goals. OK, Neto did it today, so you want to see more of that. The more you see the wingers contribute, including the striker, it will help Palmer as well with his creativity.”
While Neto was only able to score four times in the English top flight last term, he came up with some big goals, including a last-minute winner away at Fulham.
It was only one game, but the media in the US were certainly impressed with Neto’s performance against LAFC.
Reviewing Neto’s display at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, one publication wrote: “It was a promising Club World Cup debut for Neto, who was at the heart of the most dangerous actions Chelsea created all game.”
Hopefully, Chelsea fans get to see more of that in the Premier League next season. As Melchiot pointed out, Palmer will only benefit if the likes of Neto and Noni Madueke can take some of the pressure off him.
The Blues begin their 2025/26 Premier League campaign with a home game against Crystal Palace.
