Manchester City supporters must’ve been looking forward to the future with Cole Palmer. Their academy graduate, in a similar vein to Phil Foden, had to be patient in his bid to earn first-team minutes, but after Riyad Mahrez departed for the Gulf, his big break was set to arrive in 2023/24.
A wonderful finish in the Community Shield enhanced the notion that Palmer had a much bigger role to play for the treble-winners in the season ahead and his wish for increased senior action has certainly been granted at the start of the new campaign.
However, a rather stunning deadline day move means Palmer’s increasing prominence has come in royal as opposed to sky blue.
Chelsea ended their hectic summer transfer window with the £42.5m purchase of Palmer and the England Under-21 international has quickly established himself within Mauricio Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 framework. While the Blues’ transfer dealings have come under heavy scrutiny since Todd Boehly’s arrival, they look to have snagged a good one in Palmer, who opened his Premier League account for the club from the spot on Saturday.
However, there was some surprise that the 21-year-old stepped up from 12 yards to put Chelsea 2-0 up on their way to a 4-1 win at Burnley.
There was no explanation as to why the summer arrival, who hadn’t scored a Premier League goal before Saturday, stepped up to double Chelsea’s lead after Raheem Sterling was brought down inside the Burnley box.
This was just the Blues’ fifth Premier League penalty since the start of last season, with Enzo Fernandez stepping up to take their last. However, the Argentine’s effort from 12 yards was saved by Alphonse Areola in their 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Matchday 2.
Thus, while Fernandez was on the pitch, his previous woes from the spot meant there was a taker change on Saturday with young Palmer stepping up and making no mistake.
There’s certainly no clear-cut first-choice penalty taker for Chelsea this season. The Blues have had three penalties at the start of 2023/24 and three different takers.
Noni Madueke converted his effort from the spot in the Blues’ Carabao Cup win over AFC Wimbledon in August.
The fact that he stepped up to take Chelsea’s first Premier League penalty of the season would suggest Fernandez is first-choice, but his miss against the Hammers may have seen him slide down the pecking order. Those who converted from the spot last season, Jorginho and Kai Havertz, are no longer at the club.
Christopher Nkunku could assume the responsibility once he returns from a lengthy injury layoff.
|
Player |
Penalties taken |
Penalties scored |
Penalties missed |
Conversion rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Raheem Sterling |
8 |
4 |
4 |
50% |
|
Christopher Nkunku |
9 |
8 |
1 |
88.8% |
|
Enzo Fernandez |
6 |
5 |
1 |
83.3% |
|
Cole Palmer |
5 |
5 |
0 |
100% |
|
Conor Gallagher |
5 |
5 |
0 |
100% |
Chelsea’s profligacy in front of goal and their lack of a reliable goalscorer means there isn’t a standout candidate for penalty-taking duties. Strikers Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja have taken two penalties combined in their careers while Sterling, their most prolific performer, has a 50% conversion rate from the spot.
Summer arrival Nkunku is the most seasoned from the spot and perhaps most likely to step up from 12 yards once he recovers from injury. The Frenchman has missed just one of nine penalties and has previously converted against Manuel Neuer.
Fernandez’s first miss came at the sixth attempt after scoring all five of his penalties for River Plate in Argentina, while both Palmer and Conor Gallagher boasted 100% records from the spot at a youth level. Gallagher has never taken a senior penalty, however, while Saturday’s conversion was Palmer’s first attempt.
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