Chelsea genius is “the new Kevin De Bruyne” claims pundit with “three or four touch” boast | OneFootball

Cole Palmer is facing new challenges as a true global star and a Premier League poster boy.

It’s no longer just Chelsea fans who know how good he is – the whole world does. And whoever comes up against us now does everything they can to stop him.

Pat Nevin says he knew Palmer was a top class player from the moment he saw him – it took just a couple of touches for the former Blues winger to know:

“When Cole Palmer first broke through at Manchester City he came on as a sub and after just three or four touches I said, ‘I think I’ve seen the new Kevin De Bruyne’, which shocked a lot of people,” the ex-winger boasted.

“In terms of comparing him to former Chelsea players, I think De Bruyne comes closest. He’s not a winger, he’s more of a wide attacker or a number 10. People throw in names like Eden Hazard and Frank Lampard but he’s not like either of those two, he’s just Cole Palmer.”

Nevin wasn’t the only one with foresight – Paul Merson and plenty of us predicted this sort of close treatment for Palmer back in the summer. It has come to pass, and things won’t get any easier in our upcoming games. Newcastle at home this Sunday is a huge chance to strut his stuff.

Cole Palmer complains after being fouled. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

De Bruyne-like Palmer needs to shine this weekend

Well, Kevin De Bruyne is known for delivering every week, despite the opposition’s team being set up to stop him. That’s the kind of treatment Cole Palmer is going to have to expect now. He’ll be marked tightly and can’t let it get to him. De Bruyne has a superb mentality, and a superb engine to keep pushing. If Palmer wants to make the most of his talent like the Belgian has, he will need to follow the same path.