Cole Palmer stated his case for an England call-up in front of the watching Gareth Southgate on Monday night, with the Chelsea starlet declaring afterwards that he is dreaming of making it to Euro 2024.
The £42.5million summer signing from Manchester City scored and assisted as Chelsea edged this five-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge. Owner Todd Boehly was among those attendance – alongside Hollywood star Adam Sandler – as the pressure was eased on manager Mauricio Pochettino.
‘If you had told me at the start of the season I had a chance to go to the Euros I wouldn’t have believed it,’ Palmer said. ‘I will take each game as it comes and see what happens in the summer.
Pochettino added of Palmer: ‘He arrived the last day of the transfer window and it was so easy for him to adapt to the team and the demands from us, the coaching staff. He is showing his quality and, of course, it is good to have him in the squad. He is getting more mature every day.’
Cole Palmer stated his case for an England call-up with a fine display against Newcastle
England manager Gareth Southgate was in attendance to watch Palmer’s performance
Boehly visited the Chelsea changing room after this victory alongside Behdad Eghbali with Pochettino adding: ‘It was a nice chat – for only a few minutes because I need to come for the interviews – but it was good. The relationship is good.
‘We need to understand we are in Chelsea and of course when we are in a project that is completely different, some people can be confused. But we are trying to explain that we are in a different Chelsea. We need to keep believing. Winning the game was important for us and for our fans to be a little bit more calm.’
Nicolas Jackson and substitute Mykhailo Mudryk got a goal apiece for Chelsea while Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy scored two stellar strikes for Newcastle, though it was Palmer who stood out overall.
While he impressed, there was heartbreak for Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon, who told Mail Sport in an exclusive interview last week that he too is dreaming of Euro 2024. Gordon had to be substituted with a knee injury which Eddie Howe said was not looking positive.
The midfielder scored and assisted during another impressive display for the Blues
‘We’re not sure what the diagnosis is,’ Howe said. ‘He’s in a bit of pain so we fear it’s not looking too good. It was a huge moment in the game to lose him. It’s unclear what the injury is. That can add a more negative feeling, you want clarity. Of course he will be disappointed to go off, especially in front of Gareth.’
Howe added of the goals they conceded: ‘We killed ourselves tonight with the goals. They were as poor as we’ve conceded for a while. It’s cost us the match.’
