Palmer on Zola parallels: Only know him on FIFA

Chelsea striker Cole Palmer brushed off comparisons with Gianfranco Zola after his latest goal and standout performance in a 2-1 win over of Newcastle United on Sunday, saying he only knew of the former Blues and Italy great via a video game.

“I know he is an icon on FIFA so he must have been good,” the 22 year-old Palmer told Sky Sports.

“To be honest I didn’t really watch him play. Everyone says he was a great player, so thank you.”

Palmer scored the winner for Chelsea against Newcastle in the 47th minute, picking the ball up in midfield and racing to the edge of the box before smashing a low shot past Nick Pope for his seventh goal in nine league games this season.

His role in the opening goal was just as impressive, collecting the ball while facing his own goal, turning and sending a defence-splitting pass in one movement that set up Pedro Neto to provide a cross for Nicolas Jackson to score.

Palmer arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023 and went on to score 22 league goals and provide 11 assists last season, earning him a place in the England squad for Euro 2024 where he scored in the final defeat by Spain.

Those performances have drawn parallels with Zola who scored 80 goals for Chelsea in all competitions.

The diminutive Italian attended Sunday’s game and before kick-off said Palmer was “very special” with his ability to know what he was going to do with the ball before receiving it.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said he understood why Palmer was being compared with Zola.

“They are quite similar in terms of quality, in terms of seeing things that the rest don’t see,” said Maresca who worked with Palmer as a young player at Manchester City where he was part of the coaching team, before they both ended up at Chelsea.

“In the end, the reason why people come to the stadium is to see a player like him.”

Maresca also praised club captain Reece James who made several key clearances in only his second game of the season, having returned from a long-term injury in last weekend’s 2-1 defeat by Liverpool.

The Italian coach said last week that he wanted to see more leadership from James.

“I really love him, I really like Reece,” Maresca said on Sunday. “On the pitch he is a top player.”