“Gutted”- Cole Palmer tells Enzo Maresca what he must do at Chelsea to become a successful manager at Chelsea
Cole Palmer has stated that he was “gutted” to see Chelsea fire Mauricio Pochettino, but he still believes Enzo Maresca, the new coach, can turn the Blues’ players into winners at Stamford Bridge.
Despite leading Chelsea to Europa Conference League qualification, Pochettino departed the team by mutual consent at the end of the season. Maresca, who guided Leicester City’s elevation to the Premier League, took Pochettino’s position.
However, Palmer, who Pochettino traded for in September for £40 million to bring him to Stamford Bridge, expressed his sadness at seeing the 52-year-old leave West London after just one season in charge and said that he owed his former boss a great deal.
“He just gave me the opportunity and the freedom and said: ‘Do what you do’. I was [sorry to see him go] because he put his trust in me, and we built a good relationship,” Palmer told The Telegraph. “Not just with him, but with all his staff who were there. When he left, I was gutted.
“He is probably the main reason [I am in the England squad] because a different manager might not have given me that freedom and opportunity to do what I did at Chelsea.”
However, Palmer isn’t unfamiliar with Chelsea’s new coach, Maresca, who he worked with during his time at Manchester City’s academy: “Enzo was the one who put me at right wing,” added Palmer. “From the [under] 18s I was playing [number] 10 and when I went to the 23s Enzo played me on the rig
“That was my first full season on the right. He’s a good coach, a really good coach. I think tactically he knows what he is doing. He will improve a lot of the players.”