Cole Palmer tipped to leave Chelsea at end of the season and only one thing can stop it happening
William Gallas has warned Chelsea that Cole Palmer may seek a move away from the club in the summer if a trophy is not won this season.
The 22-year-old has turned into the Blues' talisman since making the £42.5million move from Manchester City last summer. After scoring 27 goals and assisting 15 more in 48 appearances last season, Palmer has started the 2024/25 campaign just as strong as he already has 11 goal contributions in nine games.
Currently on international duty with England ahead of games against Greece and Finland, Palmer has been a big part of Enzo Maresca's fast start in west London. The Blues currently sit fourth in the Premier League, have progressed to the Carabao Cup round four and won their opening UEFA Conference League fixture.
Already a Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup winner with Man City, Palmer will now want to win even more silverware with Chelsea, where he has the opportunity to play a starring role. Former Blues defender Gallas is unsure if Maresca's side have the quality to win a trophy this season, however, and has admitted Palmer may push for an exit if that is the case.
Speaking to Prime Casino, Gallas said: "Cole Palmer might want to leave Chelsea in the future if they don’t show they can win trophies, but where would he go? Barcelona would be a great move for him, but they have great young players already like Lamine Yamal and might also be signing Nico Williams.
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"Palmer looks like he is going to have a very similar season to last year and even though he is young, it will be tough to see his friends winning trophies if he isn’t at Chelsea despite the way he is playing. I won’t be surprised if he wants to speak to Chelsea in the summer if they again fail to win a trophy. He will want to know clearly what their targets are."
Gallas went on to say that Palmer would do well at a club abroad like Barcelona. "Would Cole Palmer be a success at Barcelona? He has the ability to go anywhere he wants and be a success because he is a very special player," the former Premier League icon said.
"His quality is completely different to any other English player and he could be a huge success wherever he goes. Definitely."