Ally McCoist believes England star Cole Palmer is the ‘best player in the Premier League and says he ‘produced the pass of the decade’ in Chelsea’s recent victory over Newcastle United.
Palmer has quickly developed into one of the standout players in Europe since his £40m move from Manchester City in the summer of 2023.
Being sold by his boyhood club did no harm to Palmer, who scored 25 goals in his first season at Stamford Bridge and has continued his brilliant form this season with seven goals and five assists.
Palmer’s pass in the build-up to Chelsea’s opener in the 2-1 win over Newcastle last weekend was described by Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher as ‘one of the best in Premier League history’.
McCoist was also blown away by the pre-assist and says he rates Palmer as the ‘best player in the Premier League’ right now.
As well as starring for Chelsea over the last 15 months, Palmer has become a regular for England and scored a consolation goal in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.
‘There’s a debate to be had that Cole Palmer is the best player in the Premier League,’ McCoist told talkSPORT BET. ‘Some people will say that he is and I’d have to agree with them!
‘He produced the pass of the decade against Newcastle for Nicolas Jackson’s goal. He turns, plays the ball inside Tino Livramento, Jackson finishes it off, and before the ball hits the back of the net my son calls me and I just said immediately to him, “that’s the pass of the decade”.’
McCoist has been ‘very impressed’ by Chelsea as a whole after admitting he had ‘concerns’ over the Blues before the season started.
Chelsea were expected to endure a turbulent season given the arrival of new manager Enzo Maresca and another summer of chaotic spending under Toss Boehly.
But Chelsea have in fact been one of the most exciting teams in England, only losing twice in the Premier League – against Manchester City and Liverpool – and dominating in the Europa Conference League.
‘Chelsea are doing very well at the moment,’ McCoist said.
‘I had my concerns at the start of the season and I really just wanted to give them the first four or five games to sit back and take a look at them.
‘I have to say I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen. I’ve been impressed with the manner of their performances and the consistency they’ve shown.
‘Even in the defeat to Liverpool, Arne Slot said that Chelsea could’ve got something from the game and he was right.
‘The only concern for me at the moment is Robert Sanchez. I think he’s a good goalkeeper but I’m not 100% confident in him; it doesn’t feel as though he’s safe all the time.
‘It’s horrible when you’re watching it because you just think there’s going to be a wrick in him at some point.’
Hailing the impact of Maresca, who left Championship winners Leicester City to take over at Chelsea, McCoist added: ‘There are lots of players performing at Chelsea at the moment.
‘Romeo Lavia has looked good since he’s come in and Enzo Fernandez might have a problem getting back in the team, because Enzo Maresca won’t change his shape.
‘Cole Palmer just continues to perform, and Nicolas Jackson is another player who’s maturing all the time. I really like the look of Noni Madueke on the wing as well.
‘It shows how good things are for Chelsea when Mykhailo Mudryk is playing well! Not to mention that they’ve got Jadon Sancho playing well again. Maresca is a genius!
‘He was in a bizarre situation when he joined, in that the first thing he had to do was cut the playing staff, rather than bring players in.
‘He started off with so many players that they couldn’t have got changed in the Royal Albert Hall!
‘Now you look at it, they’ve got Mudryk, Fernandez, Sancho, Christopher Nkunku, Marc Cucurella, and Joao Felix on the bench. What a bench that is!’
Chelsea, who lost 2-1 to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, return to Premier League action on Sunday against Manchester United.
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