Cole Palmer reckons Chelsea have the most ‘underrated baller’ in the world in their squad

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Cole Palmer believes Chelsea have one of the best hidden gems in world football.

Enzo Maresca has a 25-man group bursting at the seams with talent to choose from, but results have been poor so far this season, leaving the head coach under scrutiny.

The churn at Stamford Bridge continued after almost £250million was splashed out on signings during the summer, with players continuing to come and go with ruthless efficiency.

It is easy, then, for some names to drop beneath the radar, but Cole Palmer seems to think one of his team-mates is good enough to go right to the top.

Cole Palmer picks Romeo Lavia as his ‘underrated baller’

Romeo Lavia joined Chelsea in a £58million deal in 2023, but after suffering various fitness setbacks, he has only been able to make 24 appearances in all competitions.

The midfielder made his long-awaited return from a muscle problem against Brighton & Hove Albion and showed Maresca exactly what he had been missing in his brief cameo.

He is silky on the ball and combative in the tackle, traits which earned him the big-money move from Southampton, and Palmer has clearly been impressed with what he’s seen.

Put on the spot by VERSUS on TikTok, the forward was asked to name the most underrated baller.

Without even hesitating, Palmer selected Lavia, high praise indeed from one of the world’s best players.

Despite his injury woes since arriving at the Blues, TBR Football previously reported that Lavia is still highly rated at the club, who fully believe in him as a player.

Enzo Maresca thinks Romeo Lavia is ‘unbelievable’

The 21-year-old missed out on large parts of the previous campaign with hamstring and thigh problems, but started three of the final five Premier League matches.

He then played a part in Chelsea’s Club World Cup success during the summer before suffering a fresh knock. These lay-offs are preventing him from stringing together consistent performances when he desperately needs a run of games.

But Maresca is keeping the faith, having once hailed Lavia as “unbelievable.”

“I spent one entire season with Romeo when I was under-23 at [Manchester] City. So I know Romeo very well,” said Maresca.

“For us it’s like Reece [James], they are both top players. The only shame for us is that unfortunately we need to manage them, we need to protect them. But no doubt that Chelsea with Reece and Romeo, it’s a better team.

“Yeah, when he’s fit, he’s one of the best midfielders because he can defend very well, he can attack, he breaks the line, the pass between the lines, it’s unbelievable. He’s very good and hopefully we can have him until the end of the season.”