After Cole Palmer arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer, attacking midfielder Eden Hazard has been praised by the Chelsea icon for his efforts.

Speaking with former teammate John Obi Mikel on The Obi One podcast, Hazard praised the 21-year-old’s enormous talent:

“Cole Palmer is an exceptional athlete.” You know, there’s something magical about left-footers sometimes.

Palmer has been a revelation since joining from Manchester City for a fee of £42.5 million at the close of the summer transfer window.

The England international has made just 29 appearances for the Blues, but he has already scored 12 goals and provided 9 assists.

Chelsea has discovered a true treasure.
Palmer has received a great deal of appreciation from others besides Hazard. Numerous people have been taken aback by his impressive start to life at the club. The midfielder adjusted to life at the club so swiftly that even his boss, Mauricio Pochettino, was shocked.

“

Like Hazard, Pochettino has been raving about the youngster’s ability and even likened him to former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel Di Maria:

“In the position that he plays, and because he’s a left-footer and because he has some similarities and the quality, he’s a potential Angel Di Maria. Angel is a world champion [with Argentina in 2022], he was in Paris [Saint-Germain] with us, and is an amazing player. He [Palmer] has the capacity and the potential to be close to him, with time.”

Palmer has some way to go to match Hazard’s achievements

Of course, there will be some Chelsea supporters who will be comparing Palmer to Hazard himself, considering they are both playmakers.

The former City player is averaging a goal contribution every 1.32 matches at the moment, which is actually better than Hazard, who scored a goal or provided an assist every 1.74 games during his time at Stamford Bridge.

.