Ex-Chelsea defender William Gallas believes only two clubs in the world could ‘tempt’ Cole Palmer to leave Stamford Bridge.
Palmer signed a seven-year deal with Chelsea when he moved from Manchester City in the summer of 2023 and penned a contract extension over the summer that will potentially keep him at the club for the next decade.
For a range of reasons it is unlikely that he will still be at Stamford Bridge come 2033 – as much as Chelsea fans may want that to be the case.
Palmer was barely getting a kick at Man City but has quickly established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League since moving to Chelsea in a deal worth £40m.
The 22-year-old finished his first season at Stamford Bridge with 27 goals and 15 assists in all competitions – the most goal involvements of any player in the English top-flight.
Chelsea have become less reliant on Palmer this season but the England playmaker is still contributing his fair share of goals and assists with 17 so far in 16 Premier League games.
Given his form over the past 18 months, there can be few fans in world football who would not want Palmer at their club – but Gallas believes only two teams would currently have any chance of ‘tempting’ him to leave Chelsea.
‘At the moment, I think only Real Madrid and Barcelona could tempt Cole Palmer away from Chelsea,’ Gallas, who played 225 games for the Blues and won back-to-back Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho, told Prime Casino.
‘I think he would thrive playing his football in Spain. That could be three seasons in the future, but I think Chelsea fans should hope that neither of those clubs come in for him any time soon.’
Palmer’s form has helped Chelsea emerge as surprise Premier League title contenders this season.
Enzo Maresca’s side have only lost twice in the league this season – to Manchester City on the opening day and to leaders Liverpool in October – and currently sit just two points behind Arne Slot’s Reds.
The Blues continued their impressive run with a 2-1 win over west London rivals Brentford on Sunday but Maresca insisted afterwards that he did not view his team as title contenders.
‘It’s not about how many games we win,’ said Maresca, who left Championship winners Leicester City to take over at Chelsea last summer.
‘It’s about being realistic. There are things we have to do better. That’s why I said for me we are not ready.’
On the match as a whole, Maresca added: ‘We were in control of the game except the last 10 minutes where we concede. It’s normal.
‘We created chances. We could have scored more. We deserved to win the game.’
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