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William Gallas has warned Chelsea that they risk losing Cole Palmer unless they can show they are capable of challenging for major honours.
England’s newly crowned Player of the Year has made a sensational start to the new season and already shown enough to suggest that last year’s breakthrough campaign was anything but a flash in the pan.
Enzo Maresca’s young and improving side are just four points adrift of leaders Liverpool having lost only once, on the opening day against Manchester City, so far.
A challenge for the Premier League title, however, is unlikely to materialise this season with Maresca’s Blues very much a work in progress.
Palmer signed a new contract in August, despite only having joined from Manchester City 12 months prior, as a reward for his performances but Gallas knows that deal will only offer limited security if Chelsea.
‘Barcelona would be a great move for him, but they have great young players already like Lamine Yamal and might also be signing Nico Williams,’Gallas told Prime Casino.
‘Palmer looks like he is going to have a very similar season to last year and even though he is young, it will be tough to see his friends winning trophies if he isn’t at Chelsea despite the way he is playing.
‘I won’t be surprised if he wants to speak to Chelsea in the summer if they again fail to win a trophy. He will want to know clearly what their targets are.
‘He has the ability to go anywhere he wants and be a success because he is a very special player.
‘His quality is completely different to any other English player and he could be a huge success wherever he goes. Definitely.’
Chelsea face an acid test of their top four credentials in the coming weeks with games against Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal on the horizon.
‘Chelsea have shown more positives than negatives this season, but they should be beating teams like Nottingham Forest at home,’ said Gallas, suggesting the Blues still have much to prove.
‘Chelsea have shown a lot of improvement in recent games and fans may have been dreaming of being comfortable in the top four, but I can’t see it.
‘I think they will miss out on the top four because it’s all about consistency, every game in the Premier League is tough and I saw players looking a bit tired.
‘Chelsea have shown that they can be strong but if you don’t win games like Nottingham Forest at home, you won’t be able to finish in the top four.’
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