NEWS. . . BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Cole Palmer has subsidized a forgotten signing from Chelsea to revive his career after a long-awaited return to the Premier League.
Chelsea have spent more than £1bn on new signings since the acquisition of Todd Boehly in May 2022, and the American is guilty of bringing around 30 new players to Stamford Bridge.
While some, such as Palmer, a former Manchester City star, have impressed, most have been disappointing or a failure.
The one leaning towards the latter is Romeo Lavia, who has made an appearance for Chelsea since joining the Blues in a £53m deal with Southampton last summer.
Lavia was given a seven-year contract from Chelsea after impressing the Saints despite their relegation from the Premier League in 2022-23.
Liverpool have also made several offers for the Belgian midfielder, but he probably would have dodged a ball as Lavia has suffered a series of injuries this season, and recently suffered a thigh problem that kept him out of the game since December.
But Palmer believes Lavia can turn his career around at Chelsea once he is fully compliant and in the end justifies his £53m value.
“One I’ve played with [who is good] is Romeo Lavia,” the Premier League Young Player of the Season told SPORTbible.
“We haven’t looked at him this season because he was injured for a full year, but I think he’s someone who, when he starts playing, everybody will think, ‘Oh, he’s good. ‘
Although Chelsea’s owners arguably accepted some of his signings, they pulled off a masterstroke by bringing Palmer to Stamford Bridge for £40m.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a sensational first season at Chelsea, scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists in the Premier League to take a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad.
“I need to move on to the European Championship and be part of the team,” Palmer said. “I imagined it [being in the race at the moment last year].
“You’re sitting there with all the guys and a coach saying, ‘The purpose will be to get to the senior team. ‘But you look at the senior team and think, ‘Oh, there’s so many players [in front of me]. ‘”
“I never doubted my abilities, however, there were many points that contributed to [being in contention for the plane]. So myself.
Despite Palmer’s contribution, Chelsea had a combined season under former manager Mauricio Pochettino, languishing in the mid-table for most of the campaign before a delayed run saw them finish sixth and qualify for Europe.
“People said we weren’t playing for the club,” Palmer added of the season that just ended. “The claims that ‘nobody cares’ were the toughest moments [last season].
“It’s not nice, but you know yourself whether to watch or not, so we just needed to stay in combination like we did. The effects of the last few games have shown that we are watching.
After deciding to upgrade Pochettino, Chelsea are hoping for more consistency under new manager Enzo Maresca, who won the league with Leicester City last season.
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