Cole Palmer has the 'X-factor' to lead Chelsea to a Premier League title, says Paul Merson, while Jamie Carragher believes he could become Chelsea's 'greatest ever'.
Chelsea fought back from two goals down to win 4-3 against London rivals Tottenham, closing the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points.
Palmer held his nerve in key moments to score twice from penalty spot as he became the first player in Premier League history to score 12 consecutive penalties.
The England star also provided the assist for Enzo Fernandez, meaning no player in the Premier League has registered more goals than Palmer's tally of 50 since the start of last season.
“He's phenomenal,” Merson said.
“Nobody really knew much about him when he came from Manchester City, so it was a free-kick for him. But in the last seven months he's been the big boy now.”
“The name of the game for the opposition is to stop Cole Palmer. Teams try to stop him – and they can't. That shows how good he is. He's too intelligent. He always has space. Everyone needs an X.” factor to win a Premier League title and Chelsea have that with them.”
Chelsea are now third among bookmakers to win the Premier League and are shorter in the betting than Manchester City. Enzo Maresca has put his team ahead of where many predicted Chelsea would be this season as the win at Spurs was their fourteenth win in their last twenty Premier League meetings.
According to Carragher, Palmer's influence has been huge in getting Chelsea to challenge for the top.
He said: “If you think of Chelsea's flair players like Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard, I think Palmer has done more than Zola in 18 months and Zola is one of Chelsea's greatest ever players. He is on the same level as Hazard and that came in four or five years.
“If he takes Chelsea to a title, he would go down as one of their best ever players if he keeps doing what he is doing. He is a special player.”
“This Chelsea team is not an underdog story. This is a team that has spent £1.2 billion, but what they are doing this season is something completely unexpected. This club is right in the mix for a title challenge.”
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