Palm springs
COLE’S ON A ROLL SAYS FLO
ENGLAND ace Cole Palmer was right to turn his back on Manchester City, says Florent Malouda.
The forward, 22, moved to West London last summer for an initial £40million fee.
And since heading south, Palmer has wasted no time establishing himself.
He’s racked up 22 goals in 33 Premier League appearances for the Blues to secure a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
“Would we have seen Cole Palmer putting in these types of performances for Manchester City if he had stayed? I don’t think so,” said Malouda (right).
“These performances are a result of his increased game time and that wouldn’t have been guaranteed at City because they have so many attacking options.
“I think a better comparison is when Mikel Arteta decided to leave Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager and become the Arsenal manager.
“Guardiola had to let him go for him to reach the level he is operating at now.
“In football, you have to take these opportunities otherwise you can remain in the shadows.”
Chelsea opted to axe Mauricio Pochettino last month after a season of mixed performances.
The Argentine eventually guided the
Blues to sixth in the Premier League but was deemed surplus to requirements.
Malouda, who made 229 appearances for Chelsea, reckons the bones of the squad is already good enough as the club eye silverware next season. “I believe that Chelsea will be competitive again,” he added.
“I believe that the club will once again be competing for the biggest prizes in football.
“The players need to change their mindset and they need to believe in their ability to compete for trophies.
“The potential is there. The quality is there, but the mindset of the players needs to change.
“They need to have the belief that they can beat any opponent.”
“That is an adjustment that needs to happen for Chelsea to start consistently challenging for trophies because I believe that this team and this group of players has the quality to do it.”