Cole Palmer 'doesn't have a ceiling' as Chelsea team-mate raves about England star

Noni Madueke has hailed the boundless potential of his Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer, who was recently crowned England’s men’s player of the year. Madueke says “the sky’s the limit” for his colleague.

Palmer has been a revelation since his audacious move from Manchester City to Chelsea last summer, netting 22 goals and contributing 11 assists in his debut Premier League season.

His scintillating form continues this term with six goals and five assists in just seven league matches, including a quartet of strikes against Brighton.

Madueke praised Palmer’s unique ability to remain unfazed under pressure, stating: “Cole Palmer’s a very unique player. A type of player that doesn’t feel pressure in the most pressurised situations. I admire that about him.

“He’s a great footballer and I’m sure he’s going to produce for England just as he does for Chelsea.”

The bond between Palmer and Madueke stretches back to their days in the England Under-15 team, with Palmer referring to Madueke as his “brother”.

Madueke added: “Listen, Cole is a phenomenal player. In terms of the best player in the world, I don’t know if I should be the one to decide that!

“I think the sky’s the limit for him. I don’t know if he has a ceiling. I feel like the form that he’s showing now is incredible and I just hope he can continue that.”

After his standout England debut against Malta last November, Palmer was hailed as England’s player of the year on Tuesday.

The young talent, aged 22, has made quite an impact with nine caps under his belt, and scoring from the bench against Spain in the Euro 2024 final – impressively without starting once during the tournament.

Berlin witnessed Palmer shine just a year following his role in Lee Carsley’s victorious Under-21 European Championship squad, playing alongside Madueke.

Madueke, who transferred to Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, celebrated his senior England debut against Finland with an assist for skipper Harry Kane last month.

With excitement ahead of the games against Greece and Finland, Madueke expressed, “I’m honoured to be back in the squad. It’s an honour to play for your country. It’s one of the best squads in the world so it’s always a blessing to be part of it.”

On the topic of facing stiff competition, Madueke said: “On the competition, that’s football at the highest level so you have to keep trying to do as well as you can for your club in order to get called up for your country. This time I’m here, so I’m very pleased.”

Madueke is relishing another stint working with Carsley, currently tipped by bookmakers as the frontrunner to take over from Gareth Southgate as the England manager.

“How I know him, he’s definitely happiest on the grass. He’s a very hands-on coach. He likes to communicate his ideas on the pitch and take control of sessions.

“Tactically he’s very good and I’m super happy that he’s the manager for sure. He wants to be, first and foremost, the most hard-working team but also the most brave team and he wants us to show personality when we’re on the ball.”

“Of course he wants to play a style of football that’s nice to watch but that’s also ruthless and effective and wins games. That’s how I’d sum it up.”