The moment Mauricio Pochettino knew Chelsea star Cole Palmer would be 'top' after office meeting
Mauricio Pochettino has been speaking about his time as manager of Chelsea, and during his first summer at Stamford Bridge, the club signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City.
Palmer has become a fan favourite at Chelsea, and should he continue in this manner for the next couple of seasons, there is every chance Palmer may earn iconic status alongside other Stamford Bridge icons.
On Saturday, Palmer’s hat-trick against Wolves took him to a tally of 51 goals in 114 appearances for the Blues. Palmer has even overtaken Didier Drogba in goals scored, with Drogba netting 49 in his first 114.
But in his first season, under Pochettino, Palmer would go on to have a hand in 42 goals. The England star scored 27 goals himself, 22 of which came in the Premier League, while also laying on a huge 15 assists.
Mauricio Pochettino on Cole Palmer meeting soon after arrival
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, former Chelsea boss Pochettino recalls how Palmer came into his office a few days after joining from Man City. He informed Pochettino that he wanted to do more.
Indeed, Pochettino recalls this as the moment he realised Palmer would be “top”, highlighting the player’s desire to go above and beyond. USA boss Pochettino admits he was stunned by Palmer’s intelligence.
“After a few training sessions, he came to my office: ‘Coach, from the players you’ve had that play in my position, I think I need to do a bit more because I didn’t do too much at Man City. What do you think?’
“I looked at Jesus [Perez], and I said, that desire is top. Just arrived, after a few sessions, because of the demand on a player in that position… [he is] a player with the intelligence to want to do everything.”
Liam Rosenior on noise surrounding Cole Palmer
During the January window, strangely, Palmer was linked with a move to Man United with reports saying that Palmer was unhappy and even homesick in London. Rosenior has rubbished such suggestions.
Speaking after his hat-trick against Wolves, Rosenior said: “Obviously delighted for Cole [Palmer]. There’s been a lot of talk around him, about how happy he is – he looked happy today with his three goals.”
If Palmer is frustrated, it is his inability to remain fit, encapsulated by Rosenior opting to take him off after an hour at Molineux with the game won. A bid to keep Palmer fit and ready to face Leeds on Tuesday.
from Chelsea FC Latest News & Club Updates | The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/qdr4j91
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