How Cole Palmer has progressed at Chelsea ahead of Manchester City return

Cole Palmer has thrived since leaving hometown club Manchester City to join Premier League rivals Chelsea in search of regular first-team football.

Palmer made the move, in a deal worth up to £42.5million, in the summer after a treble-winning season with the Citizens.

Ahead of Palmer’s return to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, the PA news agency looks at the impressive numbers he has posted since leaving City.

Chelsea v Man City: The statistics

After coming through the ranks at City, Palmer broke into the first-team squad during the 2021-22 campaign. Over three seasons, he made 41 appearances, scored six goals and added two assists in all competitions.

In his time at City, he played a total of 1,482 minutes but he has surpassed that with 2,178 minutes in under six months, and just 28 games, with Chelsea.

The goal contributions have also risen with the 21-year-old scoring 12 and providing nine assists so far for the Blues.

One of those goals came against his old club in December when he scored a late penalty at Stamford Bridge in a thrilling 4-4 draw.

Having been given more game time at Chelsea, Palmer has developed into a first-team regular instead of potentially a rotational player for City.

Can he win trophies with Chelsea?

The last 18 months have not been acceptable by Chelsea’s standards.

The Blues were champions of Europe in 2021 but went without a trophy last season, finishing 12th in the Premier League.

However, despite continued poor league form this season, Chelsea are still in both domestic cups and face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final later this month.

That is in large part due to the performances of Palmer, who has been the star turn of the Chelsea team this season.

Mauricio Pochettino can also call upon the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Christopher Nkunku and Conor Gallagher but he is yet to find a consistent winning blend.

As well as landing the treble, Palmer also scored the equaliser on the way to City winning their maiden Super Cup on penalties against Sevilla last August.

The potential is there for Palmer to add to his silverware collection with Chelsea.

England call-up and Euro 2024 prospects

Palmer received his first England call-up last November following his impressive performances for Chelsea.

He joined the Three Lions for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, making appearances in both games off the bench.

Before Euro 2024 this summer, England play four friendly internationals – two in March and two in June.

Palmer has a lot of competition for a place from the likes of Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, James Maddison and Jarrod Bowen.

However, his recent performances certainly give him a chance of earning further caps before Gareth Southgate names his squad for the tournament in Germany.