Tony Dorigo has heaped praise on Cole Palmer after the Chelsea forward’s stunning rise since leaving Manchester City, describing him as a player capable of deciding matches on his own.
Palmer has been praised for his big-game mentality recently, having scored in both the Club World Cup and Conference League finals this year, and for England in the Euro 2024 final last year.
Dorigo believes it has something to do with the finishing school that the Chelsea man attended.
"When he’s on form and he does his bits of magic, you are winning the game." Dorigo has no doubt that Palmer has become Chelsea's talisman
“Palmer has been amazing and it’s interesting, because you look at the players that have come out of Man City, where they perhaps haven’t been given enough opportunities, and they’ve flourished,” Dorigo tells FourFourTwo on behalf of Oddspedia.
“Palmer is an example of that.”
Signed from City in the summer of 2023, Palmer arrived at Stamford Bridge as a highly regarded but relatively untested talent.
Few expected him to carry such responsibility for Chelsea, yet within months, he had established himself as their main goal threat and talisman.
Dorigo admits that the scale of his impact has taken everyone by surprise.
“Nobody could have expected the effect he had,” Dorigo reflects. “He’s turned into a gamechanger. When he’s on form and he does his bits of magic, you are winning the game. Those types of players are invaluable.”
Palmer’s composure in front of goal, creativity in tight spaces and ability to step up in key moments have transformed Chelsea’s attacking threat.
For Dorigo, it is the confidence with which the 23-year-old has grown into his role that sets him apart. “He’s grown into that role and at times he’s been unplayable,” he says.
