'You can't leave him out' - is Palmer England's most important player?

A key man for Chelsea - and for England too?

Whether it's pundits, managers or fellow players, everyone is saying the same thing about Cole Palmer - that he is one of the most exciting talents around right now.

His Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca declared he is "the best player in the Premier League", while club-mate Jadon Sancho said "anything is possible" with him in their side.

Palmer has scored six goals in seven league games so far this season - four of which came in a stunning first-half display against Brighton.

He has even been voted 2023-24 England men's player of the year by Three Lions fans, despite just two of his nine caps coming as a starter.

His form is already making him pivotal for his club, and surely the same must now apply for his country.

"Every time I see him, he takes my breath away," former England striker Gary Lineker said recently on Match of the Day.

"Of all the talented players England have got, he might be the best of the lot."

'You can't leave him out of any team'

England return to Nations League action this week as they host Greece on Thursday before travelling to face Finland three days later.

Palmer has been capped nine times by the Three Lions but has not played since scoring as a substitute in the Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain on 14 July.

Even at the Euros he was not at the forefront of then manager Gareth Southgate's mind as he played just 144 minutes across five games, starting all of them on the bench.

He sat out Nations League games against Republic of Ireland and Finland in September because of injury and while his international team-mates claimed successive 2-0 wins in his absence, Palmer's recent form will make him a strong contender to start in this upcoming round of fixtures.

"You can't leave him out of any team, and I am talking about England too," former Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He is so gifted, he will have that awe around him so that players are afraid of him. If he continues like this, he is going to be a legend of the Premier League."

A player to build a team around?

Palmer's form this season is a continuation of what he produced in his debut season at Chelsea following his move from Manchester City last summer.

Since the start of 2023-24, Palmer has either scored or assisted for 44 goals, more than anyone else in the Premier League.

While Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has scored considerably more goals with 37 compared to 28 for Palmer, the Chelsea forward has chipped in with over triple the amount of assists - 16 compared to five for Haaland.

Palmer's overall contribution means some in the game believe a team should be built around him.

Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas said on the Planet Premier League podcast: "When someone is that special, when someone makes you see and feel that whatever happens in the team he is a game changer, I believe so [you can build a team around them].

"It is fair to say it could be the right thing to do, even if as coaches we hate to say this kind of thing because we want to protect the team and the collective, but when you have someone that good and with such an impact on the pitch, I think the team see that themselves and they want Palmer to get on the ball as much as possible.

"When he has the ball it feels like everything is slow and everything becomes very clear in his eyes. He is able to play any pass at any angle on the pitch. I think it is possible when a player is that special to create a team around him."

Who should start behind Kane for England?

When interim boss Lee Carsley oversaw the wins against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, he did so without arguably some of his most important players.

As well as Palmer, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham were also absent.

While Palmer has made a blistering start to the season, Foden and Bellingham are yet to really get going.

Manchester City forward Foden scored 27 goals in all competitions last season and won the PFA Player of the Year award, but he has started just two Premier League games so far for Pep Guardiola's side this time around.

Meanwhile, Bellingham began this season with a leg injury and has just one assist and no goals in the five La Liga games he has played for Real Madrid so far.

Then, of course, there is Arsenal's Bukayo Saka. He featured in all of England's games at Euro 2024, scoring one goal and providing one assist.

He has once again been a key player for the Gunners so far this season and was brilliant in the Champions League win against Paris St-Germain last week, and again in the weekend win against Southampton.

To make life even more difficult for Carsley, Newcastle's Anthony Gordon has also been impressing and is another strong option to start for the Three Lions.

Carsley has suggested it is important to find a way to get all his best players in, and he selected Palmer as a central midfielder at England Under-21 level.

"Carsley has got to find a way of getting him into the team, but it doesn't have to be as the number 10 ahead of Foden or Bellingham because he can play off the right as well," former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said.

"With the talent Palmer has, and his goals and his numbers, this season his form has been better than Bukayo Saka's, and in fact it has been better than anyone's.

"I have always believed that if someone's form is good, get them in. So, whether it is the right or in the middle, Carsley has to fit him in. He must start for England against Greece."

Play anywhere Palmer... even left-back?

Many have joked that Palmer is so good right now that he could play anywhere on the pitch, but Carsley appears to even be considering him as a viable left-back option.

The position has proved rather a conundrum for the interim boss so far. He tried Levi Colwill there against the Republic of Ireland, then Rico Lewis for the 2-0 victory over Finland.

Both did a job, with England not conceding in either game, but it is not the natural position for either man, just as it wouldn't be for Palmer.

Carsley has not named a recognised left-back for the games against Greece and Finland, with Manchester United's Luke Shaw injured and Chelsea full-back Ben Chilwell appearing to be out of favour for club and country.

When asked if right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold could play on the opposite side, Carsley said: "He can play there.

"Bukayo [Saka] can play there, Cole [Palmer] can play there, so there's quite a few.

"Obviously you want to get the best out of them in their most natural positions."

According to Transfermarkt, Palmer has never played left-back in his professional club career, but in an interview with the Guardian in the summer the Chelsea man did reveal he played it at youth level.

"I am talking under-10s," Palmer said. "I have never played left-back since. I was tiny and I just got put left-back. When I was 12 I moved further and further up."

Flourishing in the number 10 role

Enzo Maresca only became Chelsea boss in the summer, but he had worked with Palmer before when he was a coach at Manchester City.

And it seems the Italian knows how to get the best from him, having started him in the number 10 role in six of the Blues' seven Premier League games so far this season.

"I was actually calling for Palmer to start as number 10 when Euro 2024 started, with Bellingham playing slightly deeper and Foden on the left, as a way of getting all three of them in the team," Sutton added.

"Obviously that didn't happen - Palmer was used from the bench in Germany and had an impact that way.

"You simply cannot leave him out now, though. He must start because he is on fire at the moment. He plays like he has eyes in the back of his head and I absolutely love watching him."

Fabregas said: "It is his best position. When you have talented players like that you straightaway want them in the middle as much as possible to make things happen.

"I am happy because talented players nowadays are a little bit unprotected. They don't have the same type of confidence from coaches to let them be themselves and create spaces for themselves and make things happen the way they feel.

"We are seeing this [freedom] with Palmer. It is really important not only for Chelsea but football in general and the England national team."

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha has been greatly impressed by Palmer's swift emergence, and said: "He is someone desperate to find space and play like a number 10, but when he comes as a wide forward he drifts inside and finds pockets. He looks for the forward pass first, he looks to have the shot first.

"He is one of the best players in the Premier League right now and that is something I never expected to say in his career, let alone a year and a half after leaving Manchester City."