Cole Palmer ‘100%’ has to leave Chelsea as ex-Blues star makes Lamine Yamal comparison

Cole Palmer has been told he must leave England to win the Ballon d’Or, with a pundit claiming that Lamine Yamal would not be crowned the best player in the world if he represented one of Chelsea’s Premier League rivals.

Palmer has been a sensation for Chelsea since joining from Manchester City for £42.5million in September 2023. Despite having relatively little first-team experience at City, Palmer quickly established himself as Chelsea’s most important player.

The playmaker, who can thrive as either a central attacking midfielder or on the right wing, has notched a stunning 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 appearances for Chelsea so far.

Palmer is undoubtedly one of the best players in the Premier League and is well on his way to becoming one of the biggest stars globally.

The England ace finished eighth in the recent Ballon d’Or rankings, despite a downturn in form during the second half of last season.

Palmer has huge confidence in his own ability and believes he can one day challenge for the Ballon d’Or trophy, which was won by Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele this year.

But it is clear that Ballon d’Or voters prefer players starring for the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona to English clubs. For example, Mohamed Salah had a record-breaking season at Liverpool but finished in fourth place, behind PSG midfielder Vitinha, Barcelona superstar Yamal and winner Dembele.

PSG do not normally have so many players in the top 20, but their Champions League triumph and incredible quadruple helped Dembele overcome Yamal.

When asked by Goal if Palmer needs to move to a European titan such as Madrid or Barca to achieve his ultimate aim of lifting the Ballon d’Or, former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet replied: “100 per cent, no doubt. For me, [Jude] Bellingham when I saw him at Dortmund, I liked him a lot. Then his first season at Real Madrid, I love him. Why? Because he was at Real Madrid doing what he was doing, simple.

“And I thought, maybe he is the Ballon d’Or. It was a big opportunity because he was amazing his first season in Spain – he was tremendous, another dimension, another level, and that helps.

“Would Lamine Yamal win the Ballon d’Or if he was playing at another team, Liverpool? No chance.

“I would say that I don’t like the Ballon d’Or nominations and I don’t like the vote, I think they are not fair. The people in Spain vote for the ones that play in La Liga, the people in England vote for those in England.

“The countries that don’t have anyone nominated, such as Uruguay, maybe they vote for the real one, the one that you think is the best. I don’t think it’s right, but it’s a great party for the players and it’s great to have one of them.”

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Cole Palmer in ‘elite’ bracket – Joe Cole

On Palmer’s individual achievements, former Chelsea winger Joe Cole said recently: “He is there, he is in that elite level of players, so I am happy for him that he got that.

“These individual awards are wonderful; man of the matches, player of tournaments, they are great – they are not the be all and end all.

“They are nice and it is really nice for Cole Palmer that he is recognised, and I think it will give him a little boost.”

Madrid or Barca would have to pay colossal sums of money to prise Palmer away from Stamford Bridge. His contract runs until June 2033, which puts Chelsea in a very strong negotiating position.

It is unclear where Palmer would fit in at either club, though. Madrid already have the likes of Bellingham, Arda Guler and Franco Mastantuono in their squad, while Barca stars Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez all operate in similar areas to Palmer.

The 23-year-old grew up supporting Manchester United, but there would have to be big changes at Old Trafford before they could convince him to join.

City chiefs will regret the fact they let Palmer go, but selling academy graduates is vital to their transfer strategy as it allows them to spend more on key signings.

Chelsea news: Cole praises ‘unsung hero’; Maresca in ‘tense’ situation

Meanwhile, Cole has praised an ‘unsung hero’ and a star who left opponents ‘petrified’ during Chelsea’s Champions League win over Benfica.

The victory against Jose Mourinho’s side eased pressure on Maresca.

But there is still ‘tension’ in west London on two fronts, according to a club insider.

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