Why Cole Palmer is not more frequently linked to a summer transfer to one of Chelsea’s fiercest Premier League rivals has been questioned by Jamie Carragher.
Palmer, who made a name for himself as one of the Premier League’s top players in his first season with Chelsea in 2023–2024, has struggled in the second half of the season and has not been able to replicate those achievements this season.
The Englishman last scored a goal against Bournemouth on January 14, which was almost four months ago.
Because of Palmer’s recent slump in performance, some have speculated that Chelsea might not be the best club for him.
Chelsea is still fighting for a place in the top five and, consequently, qualification for the Champions League next season, with just four games remaining in the current Premier League season.
The London team currently has 60 points, just within the top five on goal differential, but they face serious danger of missing out on the top European competition with tough games against Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Nottingham Forest still to come.
And Liverpool legend Carragher has hinted that a number of Chelsea’s opponents would try to entice Palmer away from Stamford Bridge if they are to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League.
“Palmer has only played 183 minutes of Champions League football in his career,” Carragher wrote in The Telegraph. For a player of his caliber on the eve of his 23rd birthday, that is concerningly low.
He is aware that he is too talented to be a spectator instead of competing in the Champions League. If Chelsea doesn’t start fulfilling his desire to play the best in Europe, he will begin to wonder how and when they will.
“Then it will only be a matter of time before rival clubs try to sign him.”
The two teams were’sniffing around’ Palmer, according to journalist Simon Phillips, and if Palmer is available in the summer, either Manchester City or Liverpool will be his most likely destination.
Phillips stated in his Substack: “Meanwhile, and I’m not saying we do sell him by the way, both Manchester City and Liverpool have been sniffing around Cole Palmer for the summer, with City making an enquiry recently.”
And because Liverpool has stated that they plan to be very busy in the upcoming summer window, it seems Carragher feels that the Reds should think about making a move for Palmer.
He went on: “It has been suggested that Liverpool, who play at Stamford Bridge this weekend, should spend a lot of money on Alexander Isak of Newcastle United in order to prepare for the championship defense.
“I’m surprised that nobody has claimed that Palmer ought to be considered for the new champions.
“Is that unrealistic? Too costly? Probably. If you see headlines that read, “Jamie Carragher says Liverpool should buy Palmer,” you are not reading this correctly. Liverpool is not “going big” for football players who are already established on massive and long contracts elsewhere.
“But predators will be circling and keeping tabs on what is going on at Stamford Bridge.”
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