Cole Palmer has had an absolutely amazing debut season for Chelsea after departing Manchester City for £40 million last summer.

The 21-year-old England international has been a bright spark in what has been a bleak season for the Blues in truth, factoring in all the cash they’ve spent on assembling this starting eleven.

Before a ball was kicked on Sunday afternoon, as Chelsea host West Ham United at Stamford Bridge, Palmer had an incredible 20 goals and nine assists in 30 Premier League appearances for the club.

But Cole Palmer continues to make waves in his debut season at Chelsea, and his 15th minute goal against West Ham United not only broke the deadlock but also saw him equal an impressive record at the club.

Cole Palmer matches incredible debut season record for a Chelsea player

The 21-year-old showcased his sharpness in the box, seizing upon a loose ball to beat Alphonse Areola in the 15th minute at Stamford Bridge. With this goal, Palmer has now netted 21 times in the Premier League, and his nine assists further bolster his contribution tally to an impressive 30 in the league.

This achievement puts him in elite company, as only one other player, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, has matched such a feat during his debut season at Chelsea back in 2000, when he scored 23 goals and provided seven assists.

Palmer’s blend of goal-scoring prowess and creative flair signals a promising future for the young talent at Chelsea. And it also questions why Pep Guardiola and Manchester City allowed him to leave for just a snip at £40 million last summer.

With Palmer’s tremendous goal contribution output, Chelsea could be a formidable force next season with a fully fit Christopher Nkunku and potentially the addition of star striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli.

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Aston Villa have shown strong interest in Middlesbrough’s Morgan Rogers, with reports indicating that the Villans have made their move for the 21-year-old by submitting two offers in an effort to secure his services.

Middlesbrough have rejected both offers from Aston Villa, expressing dissatisfaction with what they perceive as a lowball approach. The future attempts by Villa to secure Morgan Rogers remain uncertain.

According to The Independent, Boro values Rogers at around £10 million. Despite the ongoing transfer discussions, Rogers was in action during the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea, scoring late in the 6-1 loss.

Rogers’ moment of individual brilliance, which included a goal, provided a reason for celebration for the traveling Middlesbrough fans.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, speaking on Sky Sports before the match, expressed understanding as to why Aston Villa is pursuing Rogers, acknowledging the talent and impact he brings to the game.

“Like him a lot. Technically very good. Been brought up at Man City, was loaned out to Lincoln when I was at Burton. He is technically very good, strong.

“He also does the other side of the job, works really hard and can put the ball in the net. That’s why Aston Villa are after him.”

Morgan Rogers has been in excellent form for Middlesbrough under Michael Carrick, boasting 33 appearances, seven goals, and nine assists this season. His recent goal against Chelsea is likely to have pleased Aston Villa, as it demonstrates his ability to perform impressively against top-tier teams as well.

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Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has advised his former club against selling Conor Gallagher to Tottenham, emphasising the significance of retaining the midfielder for the Blues.

Various reports in the British media suggest that Chelsea ade considering selling Gallagher to generate funds for their January transfer targets. Tottenham are reportedly interested in signing Gallagher and may make a move for the 23-year-old now that the transfer window is open.

Chelsea’s willingness to sell the English midfielder has surprised many, considering his consistent presence in Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield at Tottenham. Chelsea’s board has faced criticism for reportedly considering the sale of Conor Gallagher, a decision that goes against the wishes of their manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has joined other pundits in urging the club not to sell Gallagher, emphasising the player’s qualities and leadership attributes that make him a valuable asset for the team.

The former Blues man told Amazon Prime Video: “I hope that they don’t (sell him) because he gives you the balance that at the moment you don’t have.”

The potential sale of Gallagher by the club, especially to Tottenham, is met with discontent among those associated with the club. However, Chelsea face financial fair play (FFP) constraints, necessitating the sale of assets for new signings, providing an opportunity for Tottenham to capitalise.

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Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has explained how he thinks Nicolas Jackson could improve at Stamford Bridge after a tricky start at his new club.

The 22-year-old joined Chelsea from Villarreal this summer, but was perhaps something of a surprise signing due to his lack of experience at the very highest level.

Jackson scored 13 goals in 38 games in all competitions last season, which isn’t a bad return from someone still young and learning the game, but it’s a tad surprising to see him now leading the line for a club like Chelsea.

Still, it seems ex-Blue Hasselbaink rates the Senegal international highly, and hopes his teammates will be able to give him more support.

The Dutchman, speaking to talkSPORT, also suggested that Jackson could perhaps have shown a more ruthless side by stepping up to take the penalty against West Ham, which would have got him off the mark, but which Enzo Fernandez ended up missing.

Hasselbaink said: “Nkunku being out [means] there’s a lot of creativity missing for the strikers. Also now Chukwuemeka being out [means] there’s a lot of creativity [missing and] hopefully his injury is not that bad.

“I would have loved to have seen Jackson take the penalty [against West Ham] to be honest because if he scores, that would give him a little bit of confidence and he would be off the mark.”

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Hasselbaink added: “I’ve liked what I’ve seen. He led the line really well against Liverpool, he was a handful against West Ham.

“He just needs a little bit of help, but that also just takes time to get to know your teammates and for your teammates to know you.

“The Premier League is not an easy league. It’s the hardest league [and] it’s the best league. He’ll be fine.”

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Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has admitted that Mykhaylo Mudryk looks like he wasn’t comfortable in the position he found himself in when he missed a great chance against Aston Villa.

The Ukraine international was an exciting high-profile signing for Chelsea this January, but so far he’s been poor at Stamford Bridge and fans will undoubtedly be concerned at how he’s struggled to settle in and make an impact.

There will surely be more to come from Mudryk once he adjusts to life in a new country and a new league, but Hasselbaink made the interesting claim about the way he took his shot against Villa.

Speaking on punditry duty with Sky Sports, as quoted by the Metro, the Dutchman suggested that Mudryk didn’t look like he was used to being in that kind of position, which is far from ideal if you’re an attacking player for a top club like Chelsea.

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“He needs to square it to Havertz,” Hasselbaink said.

“If he squares it, it is 100 per cent a goal. Chelsea have created here again, you can see he is not used to getting these kind of chances.

“He needs to take an extra touch and then take his time because he had so much time.”

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Former Chelsea striker and pundit Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has given his verdict on the Blues’ chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League compared to Liverpool.

Chelsea currently sit in 10th place in the table and are level on points with ninth-placed Liverpool, who lead only through goal difference.

Compared to their successes in recent years, this season has been lacklustre at best. The clubs are 10 points away from Manchester United in fourth and face a vigorous fight to try and reach the Champions League places along with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford.

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Hasselbaink weighed in on the race for top four and suggested Jurgen Klopp’s side have a greater chance of moving up the table than his former team. He said (via Football Daily): “Liverpool have a bigger chance than Chelsea to catch them [Newcastle].”

Take a look at his comments in full below:

? "Liverpool have a bigger chance than Chelsea to catch them."

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says Liverpool are more than capable of catching Newcastle in the race for top four pic.twitter.com/0FvNR5kb3R

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 21, 2023

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Chelsea need the signing of Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix more than their rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, according to former Blues striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

The Portugal international could be on the move this January after struggling at Atletico under Diego Simeone, with Ben Jacobs recently writing exclusively for CaughtOffside that his price may come down towards the end of the winter, with Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal not currently viewing him as good value for money.

Felix looked a real wonderkid during his days at former club Benfica, but it’s now not clear what his future holds, though Hasselbaink feels he could be a useful addition to Graham Potter’s struggling Chelsea squad.

The west London giants arguably need upgrades on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, so Felix would surely have a role to play at the club.

Meanwhile, Hasselbaink argues that Man Utd and Arsenal quite clearly both need more out-and-out strikers to come in.

“Arsenal don’t need Joao Felix, they need a different kind of profile,” Hasselbaink told Betway, as quoted by the Metro.

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“Man United need an out-and-out striker, they have enough wingers and Chelsea are more in need but it depends which position they see him playing in.

“Chelsea need to do business across the whole front three and they need also do business in midfield so Joao Felix would suit Chelsea most.”

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Jamie Carragher has addressed the mounting pressure on Chelsea manager Graham Potter and weighed in on a potential sacking.

The Blues oversaw a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge this evening, which has left them 10 points away from the relegation zone in the Premier League.

It also extended a worrying streak of having just one win in eight league matches – dismal form.

Potter was appointed just four months ago but is facing concerns over his future as manager, with fans calling for him to be sacked imminently.

Chelsea’s hierarchy even spent the most on signings of all clubs in the top flight during the summer transfer window, totalling £278.4 million and surpassing the record that they set themselves two years prior, yet they sit 10th place in the league table.

Carragher on “ruthless” Chelsea

Pre-match this evening, former Liverpool defender and pundit Carragher discussed the situation alongside Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on Sky Sports.

He said: “We never want to see a manager lose his job after 10 matches.
He’s come from Brighton, we want to see English managers do well, but that doesn’t mean we should just defend them, saying everything is fine. Chelsea is a very ruthless club, and the reason we talk like this is because it’s Chelsea.

“If it was Tottenham, Arsenal or Liverpool I don’t think we’d even be speaking about a manager like this after 10 games. The owner changed the manager after about five games so that’s my point, is it any different?

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“That remains to be seen. They talk about doing things differently, but this is a crowd who expect to be challenging for trophies and where Chelsea are right now won’t be acceptable to these supporters.”

Hasselbaink added: “The only way he can do that is winning matches.
You want the best players here, you need to be in the top four, otherwise, you’re not going to attract them.

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been warned that he may have made an error by not taking the Carabao Cup more seriously as his side were knocked out by Brighton in midweek.

The Gunners gave the perfect response, winning 2-0 away to Wolves last night to go five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, taking advantage of a surprise Manchester City defeat against Brentford earlier in the day.

Speaking after the Wolves game, Sky Sports pundit and former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink made it clear that he felt Arsenal should have tried to stay in the League Cup, as it may have given Arteta more negotiating power with the board ahead of January…

Jamie Redknapp argued that Arsenal don’t have the squad to try competing for so many competitions, but Hasselbaink said that by being in more competitions, Arteta may have been able to make it clearer to the board that he’d need more signings to deal with the extra fixtures.

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Time will tell if Arsenal got that one wrong, but for now their fans will just be thrilled that the team seems to be in a genuinely strong position in this season’s title race – better than anyone could have expected.

The north London giants haven’t won the title since all the way back in 2003/04, and haven’t even been regulars in the top four in the last few years.

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West Ham’s poor start to the season continued yesterday as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Everton. 

The win was the Merseyside club’s first of the season which propelled them up into 13th place whilst David Moyes’ side remain in the relegation zone.

West Ham were subpar yet again at Goodison Park and former Premier League striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Irons manager David Moyes made too many changes for Sunday’s match.

Moyes decided to stick with Tomas Soucek against Everton and opted to start him ahead of Manuel Lanzini, who scored and starred in the Hammers’ win against Silkeborg midweek.

Hasselbaink thinks Moyes could have done with the Argentine’s creative spark in midfield next to Rice and thought Soucek should have dropped to the bench.

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What did Hasselbaink say about West Ham’s performance?

Speaking on Sky Sports about West Ham’s performance, Hasselbaink said: “The European game, [Manuel] Lanzini played with Declan Rice and they looked a lot more fluent with the ball.

“They looked a lot more creative. We didn’t see that today. I know it’s difficult to play three games a week but sometimes, you shouldn’t change six players.

“Sometimes it disturbs the rhythm and I think today that’s what happened.”

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