Cole Palmer has revealed he wished Chelsea’s quantity 10 shirt to emulate his idols Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney.
The 23-year-old beforehand performed with No. 20 on his again however modified forward of the Membership World Cup and wore his new quantity for the primary time in Monday’s 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC.
Requested if the there have been any quantity 10s he notably noticed as function fashions, Palmer mentioned: “Messi, the massive one, Rooney and gamers like that. It is simply an iconic quantity. I wore No. 10 all my life rising up and I similar to the quantity.”
Former Chelsea greats Eden Hazard, Joe Cole and Willian wore the quantity 10 shirt nevertheless it was most just lately taken by Mykhailo Mudryk, who’s facing a potential ban of up to four years after the Soccer Affiliation charged him on Wednesday with a doping offence regarding a constructive medicine take a look at.
“I’ve not spoken to Misha but however I’ll when the time is correct,” mentioned Palmer. “It isn’t actually my place to become involved with him on the minute. I’ll converse to him.”
Palmer additionally performed down any strategies of a disagreement with head coach Enzo Maresca over Chelsea’s model of play.
After creating two assists to assist the Blues struggle again towards Real Betis to win final month’s Convention League last, Palmer claimed he was “sick of going backwards and sideways” and Maresca subsequently claimed he spoke to the playmaker a day later to induce him to be extra expressive.
“We had a joke about it,” mentioned Palmer. “My feedback weren’t in direction of the supervisor or something. It was only a private factor. I felt like within the recreation, I used to be perhaps being a bit protected. In order that’s the place the remark got here from.
“I wished to get the ball and check out one thing completely different than beforehand. Clearly you possibly can’t take the p— and do like no matter you need and stuff, however I really feel like he [Maresca] nonetheless provides you somewhat little bit of room to try to see what I can do.”
Palmer is without doubt one of the poster boys of the Membership World Cup, his face adorning giant banners situated throughout Philadelphia, the place Chelsea are based mostly for the subsequent week forward of video games towards Flamengo and Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
Palmer joined Chelsea for a deal price £42.5 million in September 2023 after simply 19 Premier League appearances for Manchester City however has rapidly established himself as considered one of English soccer’s brightest abilities.
Requested about his new-found fame and whether or not individuals cease him on the street, Pamer mentioned: “I’m only a regular child so when individuals do stuff like that I feel … why me?
“I nonetheless do the identical issues now that I did earlier than I got here to Chelsea. I try to assume it is only a recreation of soccer on the finish of the day, prefer it’s not life or demise. So I simply try to take pleasure in it. I prefer to go and play five-side and go to the astro [turf] and simply do regular issues [to take my mind off things].”