04 November 2023 , 11:22
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Chelsea star Cole Palmer is earning comparisons to Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp and Kevin De Bruyne after his bright start to life with the Blues.
The England under-21 winger moved to Stamford Bridge late in the summer transfer window for a fee of £42.5m. He put pen to paper on a seven-year deal in West London after leaving Manchester City.
Palmer has hit the ground running with Chelsea. He has made nine appearances for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, scored twice and notched three assists. That hasn’t quite been enough to inspire an upturn in fortunes with the Blues winning just two out of their last seven games.
Despite that, Arsenal icon Merson has claimed that Palmer is already as important to Chelsea as Bergkamp was to the Gunners. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “When [Chelsea] face teams who don’t give them any space, they’ve only got Cole Palmer who can break anybody down.
“He was outstanding the other day [against Brentford]. He was like the Dennis Bergkamp of Arsenal for Chelsea, the amount of opportunities he made.”
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Bergkamp is not the only player that Palmer has earned comparisons with. Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin has claimed that he is similar to his ex-Manchester City team-mate Kevin de Bruyne.
As quoted by BBC Sport, he said: "From their current league position to the long injury list, there is so much negativity surrounding Chelsea.
"Add to that the lack of Champions League football for the foreseeable future - and the financial problems that this will bring. That is before you consider the frankly frightening run of upcoming matches in the Premier League. Don't even mention the terrible atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
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"There are rays of hope, however. The brightest is Cole Palmer. I was wary of saying it out loud before but, watching him at the Bridge once again, I am convinced this lad could be world class very soon. He is the closest I have seen to a young Kevin De Bruyne for a very long time."
Palmer will be aiming to extend his bright start to the season on Monday evening. Chelsea travel across London to take on Premier League leaders Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have won eight out of their opening ten league games this term and are already 14 points clear of their capital rivals. Another win for Spurs could potentially see them go five points clear at the top, depending on other results elsewhere. Manchester City welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad, while Arsenal travel to Newcastle.