Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has explained why Chelsea's Cole Palmer reminds him of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard – and it's not because of his goalscoring abilities.
Palmer has, generally speaking, been the Blues' most outstanding player since joining the club from Manchester City in the summer of 2023.
The 22-year-old, however, has struggled in recent months, having failed to register a goal or assist in his last seven Premier League games.
Amid his struggles, Palmer has looked a frustrated figure on the field, both with himself and those around him, noticeably showing his frustration with his attacking teammates – something Carragher has picked up on while watching him.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate by Sky Bet earlier this week, the former Anfield fan-favorite explained that Palmer's frustration reminds him of his old Reds teammate Gerrard.
"I commentated on Brighton vs Chelsea in the league a month ago. I'm a big fan of Cole Palmer, and he played two passes early on, but the longer the game went on, you could see the frustration with his team-mates," said Carragher.
"It reminded me of Stevie at Liverpool at times, because he was so much better than everyone else and he got frustrated," he explained.
Chelsea are currently fourth in the Premier League, and with nine games left, they are well in the running to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Enzo Maresca's side are also favourites to win the Europa Conference League – a competition they have dominated so far this season.
Despite this, the Blues are still falling wide of expectations given the amount of money invested over the past few years, and with the club continuing to invest in youngsters rather than established stars, it doesn't look like things will change anytime soon.
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, who was sat alongside Carragher on The Overlap Fan Debate, argued that Palmer may want to soon look elsewhere for a new challenge.
"I've felt for a while that for Cole Palmer, it's almost been too easy for him to play in that Chelsea team. He knows he'll play every week and be the best player," he said. "I think he needs challenging more, and I don't get the impression that [Chelsea] are desperate to win anything."
Carragher and Scholes aren’t the only former Premier League stars who think Palmer is head and shoulders above the rest of his Chelsea teammates.
Blues legend John Terry also thinks so, too.
In an interview with SunSport, Terry, Chelsea's most-capped player of the 21st century, described the English forward as a "leader" for Maresca's side on the pitch and backed him to soon rediscover his best form.
"He's been incredible for us. He's taken a lot of the heat in terms of our dip, but also in terms of our first part of the season," said Terry. "It was probably all him, with his goals, with his contribution, with the work rate, with everything Chelsea were doing well. It revolved around him."
The five-time Premier League champion added: "He's personally not in his best form, but in terms of the quality that he brings to us, he's just a fantastic player to have. Do I think he'll come back to his best? Of course he will. He's an incredible talent."
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