Gus Poyet told GOAL that he believes Cole Palmer looks happy at Chelsea and can reach the levels of Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard. Palmer recently agreed a 12-month extension to his contract at Chelsea, with GOAL reporting that the terms are intended to keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2034.
Poyet on Palmer's mood
The ex-Blues midfielder said: "He looks happy to me, and that's very important for a player like Cole Palmer. Also, he has got help, it’s not like ‘it all depends on you, you need to score, you need to produce, you need to go help everywhere’ because the other players are doing very well, especially the front three. And that's something important."
Poyet also said: "You know what I see? I see him happy, because he's a quiet guy and he's not really expressive. I watched him the other day and even if he wasn't playing his role, you know what he can do. When he gets the ball, everybody gets excited around him, the stadium as well."
Comparison with Chelsea greats
Poyet told GOAL he believes Palmer can scale the same heights as Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard. He said: "He's going to have the time, because of his contract."
Poyet added: "Then time, years and years and years of producing. I will always remember when Harry Kane scored the first year, like 20 goals, everybody's, ‘ah, maybe it's a one-off season’. Yeah, right! Big mistake from many people. Here, it's the same."
He also said: "Two years ago, he was the best player in the league by far. Then last year, it was a difficult season because of the team. And now he sounds happy. So, for sure, he's going to have another great year."
Role on the right side
He added: "You know why as well? Because of the position he's playing in. Because if you set up Chelsea on a piece of paper, you will say he's playing right. But then you see Neto. So, it cannot be right because if it's too right, you're going to play together."
Poyet continued: "He's got a little bit of freedom on that right side of the pitch. And depending on how the team is playing, he will drop and get the ball in the back as well. Not really back, but next to Caicedo and start dictating from there."
GOAL says Palmer has found the target on four occasions this term and registered three assists. The report also says he earned an England recall in September but opted to withdraw from that squad, while Chelsea are currently fourth in the Premier League table and have reached round four of the Carabao Cup.