Cole Palmer is 'the Jack Grealish, James Maddison type' – Joe Cole backs new Chelsea star to thrive

TNT Sports expert Joe Cole has backed Cole Palmer to flourish in the battle for starting spots at Chelsea, with the youngster earning comparisons to Jack Grealish and James Maddison.

Palmer, an England Under-21 international, joined the Blues from Manchester City on Deadline Day in a deal worth £42.5 million.

The 21-year-old signed a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge, adding another option to Mauricio Pochettino’s bulging squad.

“He’s the Jack Grealish, James Maddison type. He's got lovely balance, a lovely left foot,” former Chelsea star Cole said.

“I've watched him mainly playing off the right, coming in on his left foot. But he could play as a 10.

“He can float anywhere in the final third, but he's just a player that makes an impact.”

Palmer has made two appearances from the bench for Chelsea and faces competition for a starting spot from the likes of Raheem Sterling and Mykhaylo Mudryk.

“Clearly the project is we buy young players under the age of 25, we give them long contracts and we develop them and teach them within our framework,” Cole added.

“There are a lot of footballers at Chelsea, so the project is going to be balancing that.

“It's going to be that some can break through, and some can’t. It will be down to the individual. There are lots of players competing in each position.

“It's going to be down to, when you come into the club: ‘This is what we expect, these are the standards, go out there and you've got to deliver'.

“It's a high pressure environment and I'm sure Cole Palmer will fit in there fine.”

Chelsea face Aston Villa in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

They have started the season poorly, winning just one of their opening five games, and sit 14th in the table.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media