Cole Palmer is enjoying a really strong second season as a Chelsea player so far, but he’s perhaps not hit the same dizzy heights as last year’s debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Cole Palmer took everyone by surprise in the 2023/24 season, becoming an instant star at Chelsea after joining from Manchester City.
While the English playmaker deserved all the credit for his incredible breakthrough year, Mauricio Pochettino was the Blues manager who gave him the platform to shine.
Last summer, Pochettino left Stamford Bridge after only one year in charge. He’s since become the manager of the United States national side ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Back in March 2024, Palmer praised Pochettino’s impact on him by claiming he’s played a big role in his improvement as a player.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty ImagesCole Palmer remembers playing under Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea
During an interview this week, Palmer made some fresh comments about what life was like at Chelsea under Pochettino’s management. Unsurprisingly, he’s been very complimentary of his former boss.
Palmer told Optus Sport: “Yeah, it was good to play under him (Pochettino). I spoke to different people that worked with him, and they said he was good with young players. When I came, he was brilliant with me.”
Palmer claimed last season that Chelsea’s players all loved Pochettino and wanted to fight for him. In the end, it wasn’t enough for him to stay in the job.
Mauricio Pochettino’s record at Chelsea via Transfermarkt
Even though Pochettino still had support on Chelsea’s board from some senior officials right until the very end of his tenure with the club, he left last summer after a brief stint. Ultimately, the Argentine coach did fail to get them back into the Champions League.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty ImagesCole Palmer’s form under Mauricio Pochettino vs Enzo Maresca
Palmer was the talisman in Chelsea’s side during the 2023/24 campaign when Pochettino was in the manager’s dugout. In fairness, that’s still the case in this current season under his replacement Enzo Maresca.
The biggest difference is that Maresca is preferring to start Palmer in a No 10 role, whereas under Pochettino he regularly operated as a right-winger and cut infield to central areas.
Here is a look at the attacking midfielder’s form for the two respective coaches at Chelsea:
Cole Palmer’s record at Chelsea by manager via Transfermarkt
It was always going to be a tough ask for Palmer to replicate what he did in his first year at Chelsea, but he could get close to it if he fires them to Champions League qualification and the Conference League trophy in the final months of the season.