Alan Shearer spots Cole Palmer 'arrogance' as he sends warning about Chelsea structure

Alan Shearer has spotted Cole Palmer’s “arrogance” and warned the Chelsea star that he’ll find it difficult to replicate the same success he had last season. The England international began his sophomore season with the Premier League club earlier this week at home to former side Manchester City with the champions running out 2-0 winners at Stamford Bridge.

Having been named PFA Young Player of the Year this week after a tremendous campaign for club and country where he scored 22 goals and contributed 11 assists for the Blues, the 22-year-old is no doubt under pressure to continue his upward trajectory with Shearer admitting that it’ll be difficult for the attacking midfielder to repeat his same heroics from last season in this current Chelsea team.

Speaking to Betfair, the Newcastle United legend praised the “arrogance” that Palmer exudes on the pitch but warned that the way the club has gone about their business this summer won’t help him. “Cole Palmer needs to go again, and I have no doubt that he will,” the pundit said. “He should enjoy this moment and embrace it.

“He looks so relaxed; there is an arrogance about him, in a good way, he’s got that strut, which I love. He’s saying, ‘give the ball to me, I don’t feel any pressure’, and that’s the way he played last season. When you’ve had a season like he did, he’s got to somehow go again, as difficult as it will be in that Chelsea team because they’re doing things very differently to what a normal club does.”

Shearer said Palmer must develop a taste for success like all top players as he added: “But we’ve seen the talent, we’ve seen the ability, we’ve seen he can score goals and we’ve seen he can handle the pressure. The one thing you’ve got to do is go again, because that’s what top players do. The top players enjoy what they’ve done, they get a taste for it and think, ‘I want more of that’, and that is what Palmer’s got to do now too.”

Palmer was a huge favourite to claim the PFA prize with his club campaign being followed by playing an influential role in England’s Euro 2024 campaign, where he provided an assist for Ollie Watkins’ last-gasp goal against the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

He went on to net the equaliser in England’s heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final. On the night he picked up his award, he stated: “It’s very special, I just want to say thank you to all the players for recognising me and nominating me. The list (of previous winners) is full of amazing players, a lot of great players have won it so to be on that list is good.

“It was on my phone just to make me remind myself every day that it’s something to work towards. Chelsea is a great club with a lot of great players, all the players took to me when I first went there and especially the manager when I first went there. I want to win trophies with Chelsea but individual awards are nice as well.”