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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘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. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 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.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Decision to make' – Top insider opens up on Chelsea's striker plans for the summer
'Decision to make' – Top insider opens up on Chelsea's striker plans for the summer Chelsea are planning for Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson to be their strikers for the upcoming season according to Matt Law. The Blues are once again set to be busy in the summer and have already completed the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich for £30m. Advertisement More new faces are expected to follow Delap through the door with the club targeting a versatile forward, centre back and left winger. Chelsea planning for Delap and Jackson to be the strikers Chelsea suffered at times last season without an alternative to Jackson but have moved quickly to address the issue by signing Delap. Delap has taken the number nine shirt and impressed in his debut Premier League campaign with 12 goals for an Ipswich side who got relegated. Chelsea will hope Delap is the man to score them goals. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC) The 22-year-old will add a much needed different dimension to Chelsea's attack, and Cole Palmer believes Delap is one of the best strikers in the Premier League. Advertisement There's been talk of bringing in another striker, but Law has now provided an update on the situation and what Chelsea's plans are. 'If a club did come in with a big bid for Jackson, that would give them a decision to make, but unless a club comes in for Jackson, I think that they're gearing up for Delap and Jackson being the number nines,' he told The London Is Blue Podcast. Jackson facing uncertain future? Jackson had a difficult campaign last season and managed just ten goals in the league, although he did score in the Conference League final. More Stories / Latest News 'Decision to make' – Top insider opens up on Chelsea's striker plans for the summer Advertisement 13th Jun 2025, 05:45pm 'The situation is different' – Matt Law provides major update on Trevoh Chalobah's future 13th Jun 2025, 05:15pm Former Chelsea player speaks out about Liam Delap and 'cursed' number 9 13th Jun 2025, 04:45pm The Senegal international has been linked with a shock move to Manchester United, although Maresca has admitted he really likes Jackson. If Chelsea do sign another striker it will be interesting to see what happens, but right now it's likely Jackson will be at the club next season.
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Arsenal eye shock move for Premier League rivals' star winger - after Gunners were thwarted in pursuit of £50m starlet Nico Williams
Arsenal have added Chelsea 's Noni Madueke to their list of potential winger targets. A number of clubs are monitoring developments with the England international who is expected to fall down the pecking order as Chelsea refresh their squad. The 23-year-old has been an integral part of Enzo Maresca 's squad over the last campaign, making 41 appearances across all competitions for the Blues. Madueke also took to the field for Chelsea's first Club World Cup tie, which saw the west London outfit beat Los Angeles FC 2-0 in Atlanta on Monday. But the club are set to make a raft of signings during the summer transfer window, having already welcomed Liam Delap at the start of the month. Chelsea signed the former Ipswich Town striker for £30million after meeting the 22-year-old's cut-price release clause. The Blues have also secured Mamadou Sarr from their sister club Strasbourg, and Daria Essugo from Sporting Lisbon. Mikel Arteta is keen to bolster his attacking ranks during the summer transfer window Arsenal meanwhile are keen to bolster their attacking ranks during the window, with strikers such as Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak linked with the north London club. The Gunners are thought to have been thwarted in their attempts to lure Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams to the Emirates, with the Spain international reportedly having agreed personal terms with Barcelona. Arsenal have also discussed Mohammed Kudus at West Ham, as have Chelsea and Tottenham. The Ghana international was a bright spot amid a difficult season at the London Stadium, but comes with a hefty release clause should any side look to secure his services. Amid links to Saudi Arabian sides at the start of the summer, it was revealed that clubs might have to fork out £85m.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
'It's not a joke!' Cole Palmer reveals why he wore a face mask when Chelsea flew to the Club World Cup
Cole Palmer has revealed the reason why he wears a face mask while travelling, after being spotted landing with his Chelsea side ahead of the Club World Cup wearing the disposable covering. Palmer jetted to the United States fresh from international duty with England to the club's initial training base in Philadelphia. From there, the squad moved to Atlanta ahead of their first match of the campaign against Los Angeles FC. The Blues won the clash 2-0 in front of a predominantly empty Mercedes-Benz Arena, with just 22,000 fans in the 75,000 capacity venue. But ahead of the tie, Palmer found himself scrutinised over his somewhat unusual travel set-up rather than his form, with reporters keen to learn if the star was suffering health-wise. When asked why he had been wearing a mask en route to America, Palmer revealed that he hadn't been sporting it due to illness, or for a laugh. 'It weren't a joke, I just don't like the smell of planes,' Palmer said. 'So that's why I wear a mask. 'When I travel, I feel like the smells and that, I just don't like them. 'Stuff like (the air-conditioning), so that's why I wear masks, not anything else.' Palmer added that he 'hadn't told' his team-mate Enzo Fernandez, who had suggested it might be for a joke when queried on the attire previously. The 23-year-old distinguished himself against MLS opposition on Monday night, but his head coach Enzo Maresca revealed after the clash that he is keen to keep pushing his star player after he had shared that he was 'sick' of style of play in the team's victorious UEFA Conference League final. 'I had a short conversation with Cole and I said to him that I really like the way he was today,' Maresca told reporters. 'He took responsibility, showed initiative on the ball. 'He was trying to receive the ball, go one-v-one against players, and this is the Cole we expect. 'After the Conference League final, he said he was bored when receiving the ball, so he decided to do something different. The Blues star had been somewhat critical of the style of play the team deployed in their UEFA Conference League final 'The day after that interview, I said to him that he could do it from the first minute and why did he wait so long? Why not do the same after one minute? 'Today he was exactly doing that, and we are happy when he does that. I've said many times Cole is our best player, a top player, and hopefully he can continue to do the right things.' Maresca will hope that his new No10 shows similar initiative in the side's second group-stage clash on Friday evening. The west London outfit are set to play Brazilian giants Flamengo at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in the second of three round-robin ties.
BreakingNews.ie
13 hours ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca yet to speak to Mykhailo Mudryk after doping charges
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed he has not yet spoken to winger Mykhailo Mudryk since the Ukrainian was charged with violating anti-doping rules. The 24-year-old is facing a lengthy ban after the Football Association announced on Friday it had charged the player. Advertisement Mudryk has not played since being suspended last December after testing positive for a prohibited substance. The Chelsea manager has not spoken to Mudryk since hearing of the charge he faces. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA. He was last seen in public at the Europa Conference League final in Wroclaw last month having attended in a private capacity. Mudryk is not allowed to train with the squad, who are currently at the Club World Cup in the United States. Speaking ahead of the Blues' second match of the tournament against Flamengo in Philadelphia on Friday, Maresca said: 'I spoke with 'Misha' in Poland when we played the Conference League final but I didn't speak with him since that time. Advertisement 'To be honest, I didn't see the news. They communicated (it to) me last night. There is nothing more that I can add at the moment because I don't have more information.' Chelsea did not officially comment after the charges were announced but have previously said they are supporting the player. Maresca said: 'The last time I spoke with Misha he was quite good. I didn't see him worried, or at least I didn't see him not good. It was OK. 'I don't know how he is now but for sure in the next days, weeks, we're going to have a talk.' Advertisement Maresca says he is planning for Noni Madueke to remain a Chelsea player. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA. Chelsea are in the market for a new winger this summer, and have been heavily linked with Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens, but Maresca says that is not because of the Mudryk situation. The Italian said: 'We had already one entire season, almost, without Misha. 'We've decided to go for a winger not because of Misha. It's something quite clear, it's a position that we need to improve.' Maresca dismissed speculation over the future of another winger in England international Noni Madueke, with reports Arsenal are monitoring his situation. Advertisement Maresca said: 'Noni is our player. In this moment, you can read much speculation about many players, but Noni is our player. We consider Noni our player for next season.' Maresca is set to make changes to his side for the Flamengo clash at Lincoln Financial Field due to the anticipated heat. The Blues, who opened their campaign in Group D with a 2-0 win over LAFC, are set to face the Brazilians at 2pm local time, with the temperature forecast to reach 28C. Maresca said: 'It's not easy because of the temperature. This is the reason why we're going to try to rotate players. Advertisement 'Unfortunately for us, as a Brazilian team, they are more used to playing in this temperature – but it doesn't matter. We're going to try to do our best to win the game.'
