Chelsea’s Cole Palmer told he needs trophies to become one of world’s best players

Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet believes Cole Palmer needs to win trophies to be included in the conversations surrounding the attacker being one the best players in the world.

Former Brighton and Sunderland boss Poyet featured 144 times for the Blues between 1997 and 2001.

Palmer, who finished 25th in the most recent Ballon d’Or standings, has seven goals and five assists in 12 Premier League games this season.

The 22-year-old has 52 goal contributions in 59 games since moving from Manchester City at the start of the 2023-24 season.

Speaking to BetVictor, Poyet said: “Cole Palmer is the best player in the Premier League right now. Obviously, last year, we saw Erling Haaland on fire and it was difficult to match him, but Palmer is the best in the league at the moment.

“He is still very young and to be considered the best in the world, you have to play for a team that wins trophies.

“When Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were competing for the Ballon d’Or every year, for me it always came down to who had won something that year.

“In 2016, for example, Ronaldo won the Euros and the Champions League, so I thought he should be put ahead of Messi, even if Messi plays like he’s from another planet.

“With the top players, it comes down to what you win, you don’t want to be a very good player and win nothing.

“In the next few years, Palmer going on to win trophies with Chelsea would put him in a higher place in terms of being the best player in the world. That’s what he needs to do to be in that conversation.”

Noni Madueke has been a crucial part of Enzo Maresca’s side since the Italian took charge in the summer.

Now an England international, Madueke has 11 Premier League starts this season but has only found the back of the net four times, scoring a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Wolves.

“Madueke will always be a player who has 30-minute spells where he’s incredible, but then he can go quiet in games,” said Poyet.

“He has been starting games very well but sometimes his performance declines throughout the game. That said, he is very direct and he is influential to the way that Chelsea play.

“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about with him. He shows confidence and he likes to take defenders on one-on-one, and he creates chances, as we saw during the international break.

“It’s just a matter of him continuing to improve and believing in himself. He must make sure to keep himself humble and down to earth – keep doing what he does best. He can be very influential when he’s at the top of his game.”

PICTURES: ALAMY AND KEITH GILLARD