Cole Palmer is talented, but the warning from Marcel Desailly is that talent alone is not enough. The former Chelsea captain says Palmer needs a fixed number 10 role, a sharper edge, and a stronger insistence on being used where he is most comfortable. Palmer was left out of England’s World Cup squad by Thomas Tuchel, and Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League and missed out on European qualification.

Why Desailly is pressing Palmer to be more ruthless

Desailly’s view is blunt. “The talent is there - no doubt - but mentally he's not a killer. Each top player has to be a killer inside himself,” he said. He also argued that Palmer should stop being moved around the pitch and tell the coach, “No, I want to play as a number 10. I am capable of it, adapt the system to me.”

That is a demanding line, but Palmer’s numbers do not really weaken it. He made 26 Premier League appearances, scored 10 goals and still finished with a 7.03 rating. The point Desailly is making is less about output than control. Palmer has been productive, yet Desailly clearly thinks Chelsea still have not made the best use of him.

Chelsea’s broader rebuild under Xabi Alonso

Desailly widened the criticism to Chelsea as a whole and said Xabi Alonso will inherit a squad that is too big and too young. Chelsea’s squad had an average age of 23.7 years, the youngest in the Premier League, and Desailly said the club may have about 75 players around the world still under contract.

He also argued that Chelsea need three to four first-choice experienced players to restore consistency. That is a fairer point than the Palmer one, because the structure around him still looks unfinished. Enzo Fernández was another player he singled out in that wider critique, but the main issue remains whether Palmer is being asked to fit too many roles instead of being built around as a specialist.

Chelsea ended the season without European football, and that leaves Alonso with a clear job when he takes over. If Palmer is going to be central to it, Desailly’s message is that he has to ask for the role, not wait to be given it.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →