England stars claim Palmer has outgrown Chelsea, needs greater challenges

Cole Palmer joined Chelsea at the start of the 2023/24 season from Manchester City and quickly became one of the club's standout players, contributing 39 goals and 21 assists in 78 appearances. His impressive performances even earned him a place in the England squad.

However, Carragher believes that the player's development at Chelsea may be stunted by the lack of competition at the club, citing a recent league match against Brighton as an example.

"I'm a big fan of Cole Palmer. In the game against Brighton, I could see how frustrated he was with his teammates. He played a couple of brilliant passes early on, but as the game progressed, his frustration grew. It reminded me of Steven Gerrard at times—Gerrard was so much better than his teammates that he would get annoyed. But with Palmer, it's a bit different because he's not a local player like Stevie was."

"Palmer still has six or seven years left on his deal, but if he's looking to play for a team aiming to win the Champions League, how does he get out of Chelsea?" he questioned.

The Liverpool legend further elaborated that his situation at Chelsea has made it almost "too easy" for him. "At Chelsea, he knows he'll play every week and be their best player. He's not being pushed, and I don't get the sense that the club is desperate to win anything at the moment," he added.

Scholes agreed with Carragher's assessment, emphasising that Palmer would benefit from more competition and a move to a club with higher ambitions. Palmer's current predicament at Chelsea, according to both pundits, is that he might outgrow his role at the club before they can truly challenge for major honours.