The Weekly Take, Issue 370: Mr. Clutch Does It Again

The final of the Club World Cup had been expected to be one-sided. With the exception of an unexpected group stage loss against Botafogo, Paris Saint-Germain had been taking apart every team that stood in their path. It looked almost certain that PSG, fresh off a historic first-ever Champions League victory, could not be stopped on their imperious charge to the Club World Cup title.

PSG would be playing against Chelsea in the final. The Blues didn’t even top their group after having lost to Flamengo and prior to the final, the only opponent that they faced who had been expected to give the London club any trouble was Benfica, who took Chelsea to extra time before eventually succumbing. Even against these lesser opponents, Chelsea were unimpressive but nonetheless managed to get over the line.

With all this in mind, almost no one gave the London club any chance whatsoever to even slightly trouble the reigning European champions. As things turned out, however, it was indeed a one-sided result - but in a way opposite of what most were expecting. Chelsea beat PSG 3-0 to clinch the title in the first iteration of the revamped Club World Cup.

Chelsea scored all three goals in the first half. Cole Palmer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, placing his shot from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net after having been set up by Malo Gusto. Eight minutes later, Palmer made it 2-0 with a goal that appeared to be remarkably similar to his first - only this time around, he was assisted by Levi Colwill.

Two minutes before the half-time break, Chelsea scored their third with Palmer setting up Brazilian striker João Pedro, Chelsea’s new signing from Brighton & Hove Albion. Capping off PSG’s crushing loss was a red card issued to midfielder João Neves with just five minutes of regulation time remaining following a VAR check.

In any case, the main point following the match was obvious: Cole Palmer has done it again. With two goals and an assist, Palmer has now racked up six goal contributions over his last three finals for both club and country. The Manchester-born winger isn’t just unfazed by the pressure of the big occasion - he thrives under it.

Slightly less than two months ago, Palmer had two assists in another outstanding display in the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis; he was at the heart of just about everything meaningful that Chelsea did and was then, as he was in the Club World Cup final, named man of the match.

Ever since arriving at Stamford Bridge two years ago after signing from Manchester City, Palmer has time and again put Chelsea on his back and dragged what has often been a very mediocre team to results far beyond what one would ordinarily expect of them. Now, it finally seems as though after years of underwhelming rosters, Chelsea have finally put together a reasonably competitive roster that might just be enough to give Palmer the support he needs.

Of course, Chelsea aren’t going to be the favourites to win the Premier League - those would, as usual, be City and reigning champions Liverpool - but based on what we saw in the final, for the first time since the 2018-19 season, Chelsea will have at least a puncher’s chance of winning the league for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Adding another layer to this is the World Cup which will take place at the conclusion of the upcoming season. There’s a case to be made that Palmer is already England’s best player right now. At just the age of 23 (24 by the time the World Cup begins), Palmer might already be the player around whom England’s first World Cup-winning team in 60 years could be built. It’s often the case that the Three Lions have wilted under the highest pressure - but Palmer has done the opposite time and again.

Chelsea will enter the 2025-26 season having fired the first salvo - they’ve now shown what they’re truly capable of. And, with Cole Palmer in this form, still several years from his apex, and now surrounded by the team he always should’ve been, for the first time in ages Chelsea are a bona fide force again.

The Weekly Take, Issue 356: Wait, Haven't We Seen This Before?

Chelsea moved a step closer to clinching a spot in next season’s Champions League by beating Tottenham 1-0 in a London derby which went according to the script - after all, the vast majority of people expected this to be won by the Blues, given Tottenham’s dismal season that’s seen them end up all the way down in 14th place in the Premier League.

The only goal of this match at Stamford Bridge came just after half-time. Cole Palmer sent in a perfect cross which Enzo Fernández finished off with a close-range header. Both teams would subsequently have a goal waved off via VAR; Moisés Caicedo wasn’t quite able to put Chelsea two goals ahead after his goal fell afoul of a VAR check. Later on, Pape Matar Sarr’s would-be equalizer experienced the same fate.

When things wrapped up, there was clearly one player who, as he has done on so many occasions this season, stood head and shoulders above the rest - and who else could it have been but Chelsea ace Cole Palmer? The Manchester-born midfielder has been almost single-handedly carrying Chelsea over the course of this season and last; without him, Chelsea wouldn’t have even come close to qualifying for the Europa Conference League. This time around, they’re very much in contention for a Champions  League berth by finishing in the top four.

Out of everyone who’s part of the six clubs who could realistically finish in any of the lower two Champions League qualification spots, Palmer is the best player who doesn’t play for Manchester City by a considerable distance. He has transformed Chelsea ever since breaking out as a bona fide superstar last season, turning them from a mere punchline to a team which actually appears to have a semblance of legitimacy about it. In 2022-23, the season before Palmer was brought to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea finished just 12th in the league - their worst league finish since the 1993-94 campaign when they ended up all the way down in 14th. Their turnaround since then has almost been completely due to Palmer.

As of right now, there’s a case to be made that Palmer is already one of the top 10 players in the world at just 22 years old. Likely still several years away from his absolute peak, Palmer is primed to become a perennial Ballon d’Or contender once he gets there.

This, however, does bring up a question - and it’s one which will be very familiar to many Chelsea fans: just how will the club build around Palmer? Years ago when Chelsea had Eden Hazard on the roster, year after year Chelsea spent money on the wrong guys to surround him with - legendary defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté being one of the rare exceptions. Having understandably run out of patience by then, it was little surprise that Hazard eventually left Chelsea for Real Madrid in the 2019 off-season after a seven-year stint at Chelsea. While there’s no guarantee that this will be what will eventually happen to Palmer, the signs so far aren’t exactly promising.

With the possible exception of the loan acquisition of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, none of the players which Chelsea have brought in this season have moved the needle in any way. This is especially galling when one considers the fact that Chelsea have spent over £200 million on player transfers this season. To make matters worse, they even parted with Ian Maatsen, Romelu Lukaku, and Conor Gallagher - all players who would’ve certainly contributed to their top-four push.

Ever since Todd Boehly bought Chelsea in May 2022, it’s been more of the same when compared to the Roman Abramovich years - if not even worse. Again and again, Boehly has spent recklessly on players who don’t fit the direction in which Chelsea ought to be heading; as of right now, Chelsea are completely failing at building a team around Palmer. If this keeps up, it could be very possible that Palmer leaves at some point within the next five years.

Players at Cole Palmer’s level are the rarest commodity in football and the centerpiece around which a truly elite team can be built. However, it appears that history is starting to repeat itself at Chelsea - and based on the last few years, it’s more likely than not that they will double down on their current approach.