Chelsea hit the jackpot when they signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City in a £42.5m deal last summer. The attacking midfielder has gone from strength to Herculean strength since his advent, with many even viewing him as a genuine superstar of the Premier League.
The 22-year-old scored 25 goals and supplied 15 more for the Blues during his maiden campaign, thus called up to Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad for Euro 2024, scoring and assisting for England in the semi-final and final.
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Cole Palmer
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Erling Haaland
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Ollie Watkins
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Mohamed Salah
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Phil Foden
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Heung-min Son
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It's been a rocky ol' road for Chelsea these past few years, but Palmer is the shining light of a difficult era – and with optimism building with Enzo Maresca at the helm, Stamford Bridge now seems eager to repeat the feat.
Chelsea transfer news
According to Chelsea transfer insider Simon Phillips, Todd Boehly and Co are preparing to raid Manchester City for a top talent once again, with Oscar Bobb being considered for transfer.
Blues chief Joe Shields is understood to be a big fan of the Norwegian, who has played a bit-part role under Pep Guardiola these past few seasons and could now look to entice the player with a path successfully trodden by Palmer one year ago.
Why Chelsea should sign Oscar Bobb
Bobb is a dynamic and versatile player, with experience playing across the frontline and in a centre-midfielder role too.
Having only broken into City's first team last season after several years in the academy, the 21-year-old might hope for greater opportunity this year, but surely he'd be tempted to take a leaf from Palmer's book?
Chelsea's main man featured 14 times across the 2022/23 Premier League term for Man City and grew over the summer to start last season with a bang, bagging in the Community Shield and then again in the UEFA Super Cup as his side defeated Sevilla.
It was obvious, however, that he wasn't going to be handed a regular starting berth at the Etihad Stadium, and thus a move to Chelsea proved providential. Bobb – who has already been described as "electrifying" by journalist Antonio Mango – must emulate.
While he only played a small role in Man City's campaign, Bobb did showcase his skills to a great effect, completing 88% of his passes in the Premier League and succeeding with 65% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.
Moreover, he ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for pass completion, the top 20% for progressive passes, the top 18% for successful take-ons and the top 7% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Of course, such metrics are drawn from a limited amount of match action, but it does give a good indication of Bobb's ball-playing and carrying talents.
Palmer's meteoric rise might not be the same for every player to split from a club such as Manchester City in search of promising new land, but Bobb is an immense talent himself and he could explode under Maresca's management this year.
While the all-conquering Premier League champions have yet to name their price, the Blues should get this one done to increase their depth and dynamism and to enrich a staggering crop of up-and-coming prospects.
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