“Did you not watch the game?”Chelsea have missed Cole Palmer’s cheekiness.The mock indignation, followed by the charmingly broad grin, when he was asked by Sky Sports how ready he is for this season after winning man of the match in a 3-2 victory over Fulham, was a welcome sight for the club’s fans.
"How ready are you?""Did you not watch the game?" 😅
Cole Palmer says he is 'hungry' and ready to get back to his best! pic.twitter.com/xpg5zJl9k0
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 24, 2026It’s the playful side of his personality which does not always present itself under questioning in the glare of TV cameras. Perhaps it flows more readily to the surface when he is standing next to Morgan Rogers, his childhood friend and new £117million teammate at Chelsea. It certainly shines through when he plays like this.That’s because Palmer’s cheekiness is not just a personality trait, it’s the core of his playstyle. His impudent willingness to try things, to trust his body to act upon the most audacious impulses in his mind, to just have fun out there, is what clicks his entire game into top gear.Fulham bore witness to it from the opening minute at Craven Cottage. How many footballers would take a touch to control Maxence Lacroix’s header upfield? Palmer had no need to do so, not just because he had already scanned ahead to map the precise trajectory of Joao Pedro’s run in relation to Jorge Cuenca’s position, but because he knew he could sweep the ball first-time into the Brazilian’s path before Fulham closed the momentary gap in their defence.The result was a sublimely subtle flick, weighted and angled flawlessly just beyond Cuenca, which got the calibre of touch and finish it deserved from Joao Pedro.
