Paul Merson says key Chelsea star is being ‘wasted’ by Liam Rosenior

Cole Palmer must start in the No.10 position for Chelsea, says Paul Merson (Picture: Getty) Paul Merson says Cole Palmer is being ‘wasted’ by Liam Rosenior on the wing and needs to start in the No.10 role when Chelsea return to Premier League action against Manchester City. Palmer has been nothing short of a revelation since joining Chelsea from Manchester City for a fee of £40million back in 2023, racking up 53 goals and 32 assists in 122 appearances for the Blues. The 23-year-old attacker was named the PFA Young Player of the Year on the back of his magnificent debut season at Stamford Bridge before playing a key role last term as the club won the Europa Conference League. However, Palmer has struggled to have the same sort of impact this season in Chelsea colours, not helped by several injuries problems which have forced him to miss a total of 11 games in the Premier League. And while Palmer has netted six times since Rosenior took over the reins from Enzo Maresca in early January, fans and pundits have questioned whether the new Chelsea manager could be getting more out of the forward. In Chelsea’s last three league games, Palmer’s influence has been somewhat limited while playing out on the right flank. Before that, he started on the opposite wing with little success as the side slumped to a 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal. According to Merson, Palmer needs to return to where he ‘can make things happen’ again to give Chelsea the best possible chance of getting back to winning ways after four straight defeats in all competitions. Your football fix Metro's Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy analysis, transfer talk and his take on the week's biggest stories direct to your inbox every week. Sign up here, it's an open goal. Merson says Palmer’s best qualities are being ‘wasted’ on the wing (Picture: Getty) Palmer has scored ten goals in all competitions this season (Picture: Getty) ‘They’ve got to get back to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, put Palmer in the No.10 and then put Estevao and Pedro Neto on the wings and put Joao Pedro up front,’ Merson, a lifelong fan of Chelsea, said on Sky Sports News. ‘Get Palmer in the middle of the pitch where he can make things happen. ‘At the moment, he’s playing out on the right, he gets the ball and he’s never ever going to run past the full-back. He’s not the quickest in the world.’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video After what was an encouraging start to Rosenior’s reign, Chelsea have dropped to sixth in the Premier League table and are at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification for next season. If the Blues are to turn the situation around, Merson believes Rosenior needs to start playing his best players in their favoured positions and ‘have a go’ when they take to the field against Manchester City. ‘The fans want to see Estevao playing as well,’ the former Arsenal, Aston Villa and England midfielder added. ‘He’s direct, he plays with no fear. I think he’s [Rosenior] got to go back to that and have a go against Manchester City. Palmer came on as a substitute in England’s draw with Uruguay on Friday (Picture: Getty) ‘If he does that, I think they’ve got a chance but if he plays the two holding midfield players and puts Palmer out on the wing, I think Palmer is wasted.’ Merson has not been surprised to see Enzo Fernandez flirting with Real Madrid during the international break, warning the club that more players could follow suit should they miss out on Champions League football. ‘That’s been happening over the last 30 or 40 years, players go away with their country to one of the local papers or magazines in their country and then it gets back to England,’ he explained. Chelsea suffered a heavy defeat at Everton in their last Premier League outing (Picture: Getty) ‘They then go, “I didn’t mean to say that!”, but it’s been happening for years and years. ‘If Chelsea don’t get in the Champions League then there’s going to be a problem, players will want to leave. ‘Players want to play in the Champions League, they want to play on the big table, so, for me, these last seven games are so important, starting with Manchester City at home which is a difficult game.’ Chelsea can’t win the title with their current model, says Merson (Picture: Getty) Given the transfer model that Chelsea have adopted since Todd Boehly’s takeover in 2022, Merson fears the club could be coaxed into selling Palmer in the summer transfer window. It comes amid widespread reports linking Manchester United with the Manchester City academy product. ‘That’s the model, yeah, and that’s why they buy young players,’ he said. ‘They buy young players to sell them for more money and that will be the model because this team isn’t winning the Premier League. Rosenior’s men sit sixth in the Premier League table (Picture: Getty) ‘I’m a Chelsea fan and we’re not going to win the Premier League, we’re not set out to win the Premier League over 38 games. ‘On any given Saturday they will beat someone, but they won’t do it over 38 games. ‘For me, they need to change it, but if they get the right money, if they got £120m for Palmer when they bought him for £40m, I’d be shocked if they didn’t sell him. ‘But they need to get in the Champions League and they’ve got to start playing him where he’s comfortable playing. On the right is a waste of time, he needs to play in the No.10 position and he’s as good as anyone around playing there. ‘That would give him a chance of playing there for England as well if he gets back in that position.’ Chelsea face Port Vale in the cup before hosting City at Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty) Merson hopes Chelsea are patient with Rosenior and give the 41-year-old the opportunity to steer the club back towards the top of Premier League. ‘It started off alright, it’s just been the last four games [where they have struggled],’ he continued. ‘There were 15 minutes to go against PSG and it’s 2-2… you’re sitting there and you’re thinking that if anyone is going to win it then it could be Chelsea. ‘All of a sudden, they let in three goals, the game is over and they get blown away at home. Rosenior must be given a ‘chance’ at Chelsea, according to Merson (Picture: Getty) ‘He needs to get results, the fans are looking and he’s always one defeat away with the fans. He needs to turn it around. ‘They’ve got Port Vale in the FA Cup this weekend and then it’s the big against Manchester City, it’s a massive game. ‘Football changes very quickly. If he can beat Port Vale and beat Manchester City then everything is rosy again. ‘But they’ve got to get this man Cole Palmer on the ball, he’s wasted on the wing, and you’ve got to get Estevao in too.’ Merson is a lifelong supporter of Chelsea (Picture: Getty) Merson went on: ‘You want top managers at Chelsea. Who knows? Liam Rosenior might be, he might be. Blow for Chelsea star as Real Madrid plan to sign £87m Man City midfielder Gary Lineker accuses Arsenal of using Sir Alex Ferguson tactic to win Premier League Arsenal injury concern for William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes is very real ‘We have this thing in England, we always go, “Experience, experience”, but how do you get experience? You get experience by losing four games on the trot and then going and beating Port Vale and Manchester City. That’s how you get experience. ‘Here, in this country, we have young managers like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, people like that, they lose a few games and they’re out of a job. ‘I remember many years ago when Teddy Sheringham went to Stevenage, this lad was one of the best football brains I’ve ever been on the pitch with… he goes to Stevenage, it doesn’t work out and he’s never managed since. ‘Sometimes you’ve got to give managers a chance.’ Is Liam Rosenior the right manager for Chelsea? Sign up to In The Mixer, your guide to the week in football. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk – sign up, it’s an open goal. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 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