Cole Palmer has already outgrown Chelsea and could look to leave the club.
That’s according to Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes, who believe Palmer would have little emotional attachment to the Blues and may regret signing his nine-year contract extension.
Palmer has been the standout success of the Blues' £1billion-plus transfer spending over the last two years, arriving from Manchester City for £45million in the summer of 2023 and within months establishing himself as the talisman of the team.
The forward was named young player of the season by both the Premier League and Professional Footballers' Association at the end of the first campaign, and then named England's men's player of the year soon after. Palmer was also named player of the year by his team-mates after scoring 25 goals in 45 games.
This season has been more of a struggle for Palmer, who has now gone 10 matches without a goal, and Carragher believes the first signs of frustration from the player are beginning is shine through.
"I’ve felt for a while that for Cole Palmer, it’s almost been too easy for him to play in that Chelsea team," Scholes said on The Overlap.
"He knows he’ll play every week and be the best player. I think he needs challenging more, and I don’t get the impression that they [Chelsea] are desperate to win anything."
Carragher added: "I commentated on Brighton vs Chelsea in the league a month ago. I’m a big fan of Cole Palmer, and he played two passes early on, but the longer the game went on, you could see the frustration with his team-mates.
"It reminded me of Stevie [Gerrard] at Liverpool at times, because he was so much better than everyone else and he got frustrated. Stevie was a local player, but he was never going to leave, whereas Cole Palmer isn’t."
Palmer last summer signed a new nine-year contract at Chelsea, tying him to the club until 2033 and Carragher has suggested the Manchester-born star could soon regret such a long-term commitment.
Carragher continued: "This is when I go back to those eight-year contracts, and whether they are good for the club and players. If you’re Cole Palmer, who’s got six or seven years left on his deal, and he should be playing for a team looking to win the Champions League, how does he get out?”
Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes were speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet
