Cole Palmer is refusing to get sidetracked by suggestions he could gatecrash England’s squad for Euro 2024, having turned in another man-of-the-match performance in Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Newcastle United.
Palmer registered a goal and an assist as Chelsea made up ground on their European rivals on Monday, seeing his wayward effort backheeled in by Nicolas Jackson before firing into the bottom-right corner just before the hour mark.
Mykhailo Mudryk was also on target as fine finishes from Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy were proven redundant, with Chelsea moving within one point of Newcastle in the Premier League table.
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Palmer now has 11 goals and eight assists in the Premier League this season, and his latest talismanic display came with England boss Gareth Southgate watching on from the stands at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer won his first senior cap against Malta last November, and he is surely now in contention to make Southgate’s 23-man squad for the trip to Germany. However, the 21-year-old is shutting out the noise to focus on his club form.
“If you had told me at the start of the season that I had a chance to go to the Euros, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Palmer told Sky Sports.
“I will just take each game as it comes and see what happens in the summer.”
🅰️ x ⚽️ PIC.TWITTER.COM/OIMC1OT6PT
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) MARCH 11, 2024
Chelsea have endured a difficult first season under Mauricio Pochettino, sitting 11th in the Premier League table and losing the EFL Cup final to a young Liverpool side last month.
However, they could still salvage something from an underwhelming campaign, sitting four points adrift of the top seven and with a home FA Cup quarter-final against Championship leaders Leicester City to come.
Palmer is certain Chelsea’s young team will eventually find consistency, saying: “There’s so much talent around Chelsea that the fans don’t see and you in the media don’t see.
“If not next season, the season after, you will see it sooner or later. We’re still in the FA Cup and hopefully we can win on Sunday to get to Wembley again.
“We’ve had some difficult results, obviously with the EFL Cup final against Liverpool, so just to get points is vital. We showed passion and courage winning the second balls and not getting bullied.”
How many goal involvements will Cole Palmer finish on this season? 😮💨#CHENEW | @CHELSEAFC PIC.TWITTER.COM/GYNTKKG7YS
— Premier League (@premierleague) MARCH 11, 2024
