Chelsea have been warned that Cole Palmer will play in the Champions League next season, be it with them or elsewhere.
After a fast start under manager Enzo Maresca, the Blues have now won just two of their last nine Premier League matches.
The 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Friday was their heaviest loss of the campaign - and marked the first time in four years Chelsea have failed to register a single shot on target in the top-flight.
Palmer was particularly devoid of ideas and cut a miserable figure throughout the south coast drubbing.
Despite Chelsea's recent struggles, Palmer has scored 14 goals and assisted six more in the Premier League this season, looking to match his impressive tally from last campaign.
He ended the 2023/24 season with 22 goals and 11 assists, not far behind Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland for large parts of the season.
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The former Manchester City academy star joined the Blues on transfer deadline day in September 2023 and has since become one of the world's most valuable assets.
A move away from Chelsea will prove difficult, with the 22-year-old tied down until 2033 in one of football's longest contracts.
But Blues broadcaster and 90mins co-host Rory Jennings insists the England superstar will be 'itching' to play in the Champions League - with Chelsea currently fourth and clinging onto the final spot.
Hinting at a transfer that would send shockwaves through west London, Jennings said: "A player of Cole Palmer's quality will be itching to play in the Champions League and if Chelsea aren't in it... next season, Cole Palmer plays Champions League football.
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"Whether that's with Chelsea or not will depend on us qualifying, but Cole Palmer will be playing Champions League football."
Maresca recently said that Chelsea can dominate English football in the next five to ten years, urging patience with a squad of young players.
However, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has also warned that top players will not wait around on the promise of a successful long-term project.
Watching a dejected Palmer on Friday night, Carragher said on commentary for Sky Sports: “The idea that this project is going to take two or three years, the problem is that the best players won’t wait for that.
“Cole Palmer is one of the best players in the Premier League. He wasn’t at his best today, but you could start to feel the frustration starting to build. He’s good enough to be competing for the biggest honours in the Premier League and Champions League.
“He’s scored in a European Championship final! That is something that Chelsea need to keep in the back of their mind.
“The idea that it could be five or 10 years – it’s nonsense. Nottingham Forest are third and Chelsea have spent over £1billion.
"If they don’t get Champions League, it will be a disaster.
Cole Palmer - Chelsea stats
Palmer has played 58 game in the top-flight since joining Chelsea
2023/24 Premier League: 22 goals, 11 assists
2024/25 Premier League so far: 14 goals, six assists
Honours
- England Men's Player of the Year: 2023/24
- London Football Awards Men's Young Player of the Year: 2024
- Chelsea Player of the Season: 2023/24
- Chelsea Player's Player of the Season: 2023/24
- Premier League Young Player of the Season: 2023/24
- PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2023/24
- PFA Young Player of the Year: 2023/24
“The one thing I took from this game is not just how poor they were but the frustration from Palmer. He won’t wait around for this idea that in a couple of years, we will make the Champions League.”
At Chelsea, Palmer has broken a number of records. In September, he became the first player in Premier League history to score four times in the first half of a match in a 4-2 victory at home to Brighton.
Three months later, he became the second-quickest Chelsea player to score 30 Premier League goals, behind Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
Against Tottenham in a 4-3 win over their London rivals, Palmer's penalty brace gave him the best record in the league from the spot, having scored 12 out of 12 to beat Yaya Toure's 11 out of 11.
