‘He’s quicker than I thought’: Gary Lineker blown away by how fast £40m Chelsea player actually is

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Cole Palmer has been the star of the season at Chelsea.

The Blues haven’t had much to shout about this term, but the £40m man has been a shining beacon of hope in what has been a drab time to be a Chelsea fan.

Palmer has shown so many different sides to his game. His creativity has been incredible, while he’s also been amongst the goals as well for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Speaking on The Rest is Football, Micah Richards and Gary Lineker have been lavishing praise upon Palmer, and Lineker actually picked out his speed as an impressive attribute that has shocked him.

Palmer faster than Lineker thought

Richards and Lineker spoke about the Chelsea star.

“He has everything, the way he controls the ball, he looks up, he’s not afraid to get on the ball even when it’s not going right, he can press now as well, if I was picking the squad he has to go in,” Richards said.

“He’s quicker than I thought as well, he glides across the ground. If you’re Gareth Southgate now, you have Foden, Maddison and Palmer all playing that role, if you could only pick two of them, but you don’t have to because they’re all good enough to adapt and play in other positions,” Lineker said.

Joy to watch

It’s sometimes easy to forget just how fast Palmer is because he’s so technical at the same time.

Usually, pacey players stand out when they’re push and run wingers, the likes of Dan James and Adama Traore spring to mind, but Palmer is much more about close control and driving with the ball in a more cultured way.

Make no mistake about it, he still covers ground at a ridiculous rate, but, as Lineker says, he seems to glide rather than sprint across the pitch, and when he’s in full flow, it’s amazing to watch.