Palmer becomes second-quickest Chelsea star to reach 30 Premier League goals

COLE PALMER doesn't yet have the silverware to match modern Chelsea legends, but he has become Stamford Bridge royalty in record speed.

The 22-year-old completed his 60th Blues appearance with a goal, an assist and a man of the match performance in yesterday's 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

It was Palmer's 33rd goal and 21st assist since his £40m move to Manchester City at the start of last season.

In his debut year in West London, the England star scored 22 goals, moving him only behind Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League goalscoring chart.

And he has continued his good form this season, with eight goals in thirteen games.

The attacking midfielder's eye for a goal means that he can only be compared to attackers.

Palmer's stunning curler to seal the victory against Villa was his 30th goal in the Prem for the Blues.

In just 46 appearances, only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has reached the milestone faster for Chelsea (41 games).

The staggering stats mean he has scored 30 goals in two fewer games than Diego Costa and 21 fewer than Didier Drogba.

Both iconic strikers fired the Blues to the title in their first season at the club.

Palmer has little confidence he can achieve the same in his second term, frowning and silencing a reporter who asked him about their title chances.

When it comes to goals and assists in a calendar year, the number 20 only needs three more to set a new club record.

Palmer has registered 34 with six Prem games remaining in 2024.

Hasselbaink, who did the case in 2001, has the record at 36.

Since Palmer made his Chelsea debut in the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in September 2023, he has been involved in 47 goals, which is more than any other player.

Despite only making two appearances against some teams, he has now scored against every Premier League team he has faced except Liverpool and Leicester.

And it has seen him and Joao Felix receive high praise from Enzo Maresca, who said: “Cole and Joao are the reason why people pay for tickets; to watch that type of player.

“Cole, like Joao, can see things that the rest of us can't see. That doesn't mean that the rest are bad, but it does mean that they are different from the rest.”