‘Normal' Cole Palmer assumes control of Chelsea's attack from No 10

Cole Palmer sees himself as a normal kid. Strangers watch him with something close to fascination, though. What's going on beneath the chilled exterior? The shrugging demeanour adds to the mystique. Kids copy the Chelsea attacker's 'cold' celebration. Interviewers walk away amused but bemused after spending time with him. What's the story with those answers? Why are they all so short and sweet?
The Philadelphia sun is beating down when Palmer mooches over for a quick chat at Subaru Park, where Chelsea are training before facing Flamengo in their second game at the Club World Cup on Friday. So, Cole, can you tell us why you walked out wearing a mask when the team plane landed in the US last week? Are you ill? Enzo Maresca, your manager, thinks you were playing a trick on everyone.
'It wasn't a joke,' he says. 'I just don't like the smelly planes. That's why I wear a mask. When I travel I don't like the smells so that's why I wear them. Nothing else. Enzo doesn't know. I didn't tell him. But he didn't ask me, to be fair.'
It is straight to the point with Palmer, who turned 23 in May. He has enjoyed a rapid rise to fame and does not really understand why he attracts so much attention. He still finds being recognised when he goes out in London a strange experience. 'I am just a normal kid,' he says. 'When people do stuff like that I think: 'Why me?''
The answer is that Palmer is one of the most enjoyable players in the Premier League, a free spirit, a bit of a throwback to when the game was less rigid and less systems‑based. No wonder he is on so many of the billboards promoting the Club World Cup in Philadelphia. Palmer is by far the biggest draw at Chelsea. While there is a sense that he is more aware of his worth than he makes out, it is hard to see the fame going to his head.
'I still do the same things I did before I came to Chelsea,' he says. 'I try and think it's just a game of football, it's not life or death. I just try and enjoy it. I like to go and play five-a-side and just do normal things. I like PlayStation.'
The Normal One, then. Only, Palmer is capable of doing the extraordinary when he plays. He turned the game with two fabulous assists when Chelsea beat Real Betis in the Uefa Conference League final in May. Afterwards, he talked about growing tired with playing backwards and sideways when behind in that game. It led to suggestions that Palmer was having a dig at Maresca's tactics.
There was no drama, though. Maresca has since made it clear that he wants his best player to produce those off-the-cuff moments from first minute to last. 'We had a joke about it,' Palmer says. 'My comments weren't towards the manager or anything. It was just a personal thing. I felt I was maybe being a bit safe. That's where the comment came from. I wanted to get the ball and try something different. You can't take the piss and do whatever you want, but I feel like he still gives you a little bit of room to try and see what I can do.'
Palmer's form was exceptional during the first half of the season. He was directly involved in 53 goals in his first 50 Premier League starts for Chelsea. Palmer dipped after Christmas and went 18 games without scoring but took things in his stride. A dismissal of 'social media idiots' after he ended his barren run with a typically cool penalty during Chelsea's victory over Liverpool last month was classic Palmer.
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He is ready to accept more responsibility. Chelsea will play in the Champions League next season and will need Palmer to be at his best. For now, though, the focus is on becoming world champions. No doubt the marketing team at Chelsea were pleased Palmer swapped the No 20 shirt for the famous No 10 – previously worn by Mykhailo Mudryk, who has been charged by the Football Association with doping offences – before the start of the tournament.
'I wore No 10 all my life growing up,' says Palmer. Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney were two of his heroes. He also loved Eden Hazard, who wore No 10 at Chelsea. He feels like the Belgian winger's successor. Hazard, who was Chelsea's star talent before leaving in 2019, was similarly down-to‑earth. 'I have seen him a few times at the training ground,' Palmer says. 'He asked me for one of my shirts for his sons.' It all sounds reassuringly normal.

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