Top Chelsea star accused of operating in comfort zone and ‘needs bigger challenge’

Rob McCarthy 18 Mar 2025 7:55 PM

Cole Palmer urged to consider his options at Chelsea

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes fears Cole Palmer is now operating in a comfort zone at Chelsea and needs to be challenged more to completely fulfill his potential at Stamford Bridge.

The England international’s form has tailed off significantly in the second half of the season, much like Chelsea’s, as Enzo Maresca’s men currently battle to secure a top-four spot after limping to a 1-0 defeat at London rivals Chelsea over the weekend.

Palmer missed the game at The Emirates after picking up a muscle injury that has also ruled him out of Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, as the Three Lions prepare for World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.

The 22-year-old playmaker enjoyed an incredible first season at Chelsea, as he notched a remarkable 27 goals and 15 assists in 48 games in all competitions under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, Palmer has unsurprisingly been unable to keep up that sort of form in the current campaign with Maresca at the helm, although he still has 20 goal/assists to his name.

But it now appears that the sheer number of minutes Palmer has played since the start of last season, having previously failed to play regularly at Manchester City, has caught up with him – given his dip in form and subsequent injury.

Despite that, speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap, Scholes argued that Palmer actually needs to be ‘challenged more’ – seemingly hinting at a potential exit.

“I’ve felt for a while that for Cole Palmer, it’s almost been too easy for him to play in that Chelsea team,” Scholes said.

“He knows he’ll play every week and be the best player. I think he needs challenging more, and I don’t get the impression that they [Chelsea] are desperate to win anything.”

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Carragher urges Chelsea star to consider options

Meanwhile, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes the current Premier League Young Player of the Season should perhaps be considering his options – if his ‘current frustrations’ continue.

“I commentated on Brighton versus Chelsea in the league a month ago. I’m a big fan of Cole Palmer, and he played two passes early on, but the longer the game went on, you could see the frustration with his teammates,” Carragher said.

“It reminded me of Stevie [Gerrard] at Liverpool at times, because he was so much better than everyone else and he got frustrated.

“Stevie was a local player, but he was never going to leave, whereas Cole Palmer isn’t.

“This is when I go back to those eight-year contracts, and whether they are good for the club and players.

“If you’re Cole Palmer, who’s got six or seven years left on his deal, and he should be playing for a team looking to win the Champions League, how does he get out?”

Maresca, meanwhile, is hopeful of having Palmer back in action after the international break when Chelsea host Tottenham in the Premier League.

Speaking after the Arsenal loss, the Italian told reporters: “I hope he can be back for our next game, but we need to wait for a scan. We don’t wish players injury, but probably in Cole’s case in this moment it will give him some rest, physically and mentally, it could be good.”