GOAL KING COLE GETS THE BLUES BALL ROLLING
TREVOH CHALOBAH has confirmed the worst-kept secret at Chelsea – the key to success is getting Cole Palmer on the ball.
Palmer’s 11th goal of the season – and eighth assist – in Monday night’s 3-2 win against Newcastle reignited the Blues’ hopes of qualifying for Europe through their Premier League position.
And it lifted the pressure on manager Mauricio Pochettino.
In front of watching England coach Gareth Southgate, Palmer once again looked a bargain at the £42.5m Chelsea paid to release him from the bench at Manchester City.
And defender Chalobah’s appreciation of the 21-year-old winger’s mushrooming talent underlined Palmer’s status as the new king of Stamford Bridge.
He said: “We have quality players, Cole is up there right now and it is important for us to get our best players on the ball.
“That is what we did against Newcastle.
“What a player he is. The confidence that he shows in every moment of the game.
“You can see he is so relaxed and knows his ability. He’s the kind of player we need.
“Can he go to the Euros? Most definitely. He’s up there producing every week, so why not?”
Pochettino was subjected to abusive chants from Chelsea fans in the 2-2 draw at Brentford earlier this month.
But the soundtrack was more positive as Newcastle’s dire away form betrayed them again.
The gap to seventhplaced West Ham is now just four points, and although Chelsea still sit in the bottom half of the table, the trajectory is upward, and Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester could lift the mood further.
Chalobah said: “Fans demand a lot. This is a massive club and the expectations they have, we haven’t been meeting them.
“It is a learning process for us. We try to just focus on what is going on in the camp. We’re all together, all for the manager and he is there for us.
“We will keep working no matter what the fans say.
“We want to try our best and to make them proud. It will come.”