Chris Sutton has named Cole Palmer as the ‘best England player’ in the Premier League ahead of the likes of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
One of the few mistakes Pep Guardiola has made during his incredibly successful spell in charge of Manchester City was agreeing to sell Palmer to Chelsea.
Some thought £40m for a player struggling for minutes at the Etihad Stadium was good business by the champions but Palmer has made a mockery of that fee over the past 18 months.
Palmer has 33 goals and 18 assists in 69 Premier League appearances. He won the Young Player of the Year award last season and is in contention for the main award this time around, having helped Chelsea emerge as surprise title contenders.
Sutton believes Palmer is clearly the best England player in the top-flight despite the likes of Saka and Rice starring for club and country in recent years.
Outside of the Premier League, Bundesliga goalscoring machine Harry Kane and La Liga talisman Jude Bellingham are up there with the best players at England’s disposal.
Asked who he rates as the best England player in the Premier League, Sutton told Spaceport Sweden: ‘That’s not difficult… Cole Palmer.
‘He’s so, so natural. He seems to play a different game to most players in the Premier League.
‘He’s three yards sharper than everybody else, thinks ahead, handles the ball brilliantly. And we saw that Panenka penalty he scored against Tottenham.
‘I scored a Panenka once up at Celtic when we were 4-0 up against Hibbs. But that’s quite another thing when you’re in a tight London derby game. I know they were ahead at that particular time but still.
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‘There’s different ways to take penalties but to have that confidence in your execution, that courage, that tells you where he’s at at this moment in time.
‘You have to hark back to Manchester City letting him actually leave. You look at City and you think, Pep didn’t make many mistakes, but that looks to be one where he must think, “That’s one that got away.”
‘Cole Palmer has been brilliant. He’s the best English player in the Premier League and certainly the English player I enjoy watching the most.
Chelsea were expected to struggle before the start of the season following the arrival of yet another new manager and a chaotic transfer window.
But Enzo Maresca’s side have only lost two league games to climb to second in the Premier League, four points behind Liverpool and two points ahead of London rivals Arsenal.
Despite Chelsea’s impressive and exciting form, Maresca has repeatedly said his side are not in a title race – but Sutton disagrees.
The ex-England striker said: ‘Chelsea are really interesting, aren’t they?
‘Enzo Maresca keeps saying they can’t win the Premier League this season, but the way they’re performing suggests that they’re well and truly in the mix.
‘You go back to the way that they’ve spent money and how much they’ve spent and the way that they’ve been criticised for their spending.
‘Maybe there was a method in their madness and they’re bearing the fruits now, and you feel that they’re only going to keep getting better.’
Following a frustrating goalless draw at Everton last time out, Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways on Boxing Day when they face west London rivals Fulham.
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