What's really behind Cole Palmer's slump at Chelsea as 'impossible' claim made

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson believes Cole Palmer's recent Chelsea struggles can be traced back to striker Nicolas Jackson's injury.

While Enzo Maresca's side ended their losing run with a routine 4-0 Premier League victory over bottom side Southampton, Palmer failed to make a direct goal contribution for the sixth Premier League match in a row. His last league goal came in the Blues' dramatic 2-2 home draw with AFC Bournemouth on January 14, while he did force an own goal from Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the 2-1 win over West Ham earlier this month.

The wastefulness of Chelsea's attackers have also diminished Palmer's numbers, as he has created 32 chances in his last 14 games, without any of them being converted. His stats also indicate a longing for Jackson, who has been ruled out till after the March international break with a hamstring injury, to return to the side.

While playing alongside the Senegalese striker, Palmer has netted 34 goals and contributed 17 assists in 53 appearances, compared to two goals in six matches without him. Merson believes the absence of a proper No.9 explains Palmer's recent slump, with the likes of versatile forwards Christopher Nkunku and Pedro Neto hardly ripping up trees in place of Jackson down the middle.

The former England midfielder said: "He (Palmer) misses Jackson immensely. If you watch there, everything he is trying to do, he’s trying to do it himself. When Jackson plays, Jackson spreads the game, then he can get on the ball, get his head up and then play Jackson in.

"Now the game is becoming compact and every time he gets the ball, there are three or four players around him. Jackson is only as good as Palmer and Palmer is only as good as Jackson.

“I don’t mean that disrespectfully to Palmer. But he needs pace up front and he needs a focal point that is going to open the game up.

"At the moment, it’s too tight and too congested and he is very easy to pick up. He is so frustrated now that at Stamford Bridge, he is coming to pick the ball up from the centre-half on the half-way line and you don’t want Palmer there.”

Palmer's recent struggles sum up a poor run of form which has seen Chelsea tumble out of the title race. The Blues' victories over the Saints, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United are the only wins they have picked up in 2025.

In that time, they have been knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton & Hove Albion and have also suffered Premier League defeats to the Seagulls, Manchester City and Aston Villa, while also letting leads slip in draws with Bournemouth and Crystal Palace.

While Merson admits 22-year-old Palmer is not playing at his usual high levels, the ex-Gunner believes a dry-patch of this nature was inevitable for someone still so young. He added: "He was never going to be able to keep up with what he was doing – it’s impossible. He couldn’t keep up with what he was doing, the numbers he was putting up.

"It’s hard for a kid and he is a youngster still. On top of last season and this season, he was always going to have a lull, a little bit of a lull. But at the same time, he can’t keep on doing it.

"The problem is, everybody is waiting, not just the fans but even the players on the pitch, for Palmer to do something., and then it will be, ‘oh, well, now we can play’. No one is taking the game by the scruff of the neck, they are so reliant on Palmer and it is taking its toll on him, he’s a young kid.”

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