Enzo Maresca names the Chelsea player who “wants the ball” first in training sessions | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca is a man who knows Cole Palmer very well – and that’s no coincidence. The pair have been brought to Chelsea as part of a co-ordinated project, with Joe Shields (a former colleague of both) intimately involved in the moves for both of these important figures in the new era of the club.

So there aren’t many better authorities on Palmer’s ability on the pitch, as well as his character off it, than Maresca. Speaking to the official Chelsea website today, he raved about ice cold assassin’s character after Palmer secured the Premier League Player of the Month award to go alongside his own simultaneous Manager of the Month award for September.

Cole Palmer in action for Chelsea (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Maresca on his golden boy Palmer

“He is winning so many trophies in this moment so this is one more!” Maresca chuckled.

“The best thing he has is that these kinds of awards are not going to change him and he is always the same guy: humble. He enjoys football like a kid. This is the best thing for him. You can see how much he enjoys his football. He is like a kid, he always wants the ball, to play and to enjoy. He is so happy. You can see in sessions; he is always one of the first around the ball and wants the ball. It is the main point.”

Palmer’s slightly spaced out vibes have made him the subject of ridicule from plenty of fans, but we’d rather see him as Maresca describes him – just a football mad lad who isn’t interested in the immense celebrity which is coming his way, whether he likes it or not.

As Maresca says, keeping his feet on the ground is what has got Palmer this far. Why change the winning formula?