The Premier League has arguably the largest concentration of the best players in the world. 

This can be easily seen in the list of Ballon d'Or nominations for 2024. Ten of the 30 players who made the final list play in the Premier League, meaning the league leads the way with the most Ballon d'Or nominees for the year.

The closest league, Spanish La Liga, has nine players, most of whom play for Real Madrid. So it is safe to say that the highest concentration of the best players in the world play in the Premier League, making Premier League tickets one of the hottest properties in the world. 

And among the best in the league, there appears to be none better than Chelsea's Cole Palmer at the moment. 

The 22-year-old is among the players nominated for the prestigious award after a breakthrough year with Chelsea.

Palmer has come a long way in two short years. Seen as the next big thing when he announced himself for Manchester City by scoring their first goal in last season's FA Community Shield against Arsenal, the Englishman was not expected to bloom and flourish so quickly. 

Many who watched the then-21-year-old thought he would hang around the City team for a while or go out on loan to gain more experience or build more stamina. 

However, Palmer refused to be a bench warmer or an extra tyre, deciding to move southward to London. He has excelled since leaving the Etihad for Stamford Bridge in search of regular playing time. 

It was a transfer that came from nowhere. Yet, it is probably the best business Chelsea has done since signing a young Belgian named Eden Hazard in 2012. The £40 million, potentially rising by £2.5 million in add-ons, the Blues paid for Palmer makes his signing one of the best pieces of business in the Premier League, rivalling the £36.5m Liverpool paid for Momahed Salah in 2017 or the £51.2m Manchester City paid Erling Haaland in 2022. 

Palmer last season 

Despite starting the season as a Man City player and being only 21 years old, Cole Palmer quickly became Chelsea's most important player and leader after arriving on deadline day last season.

In a season when Chelsea were abysmal from start to finish, the 22-year-old was a picture of consistency and improvement. He scored 27 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions for the Blues. He was the third player in the club's history to score at least 20 goals in his debut season.

Palmer's numbers weren't just great for Chelsea. He was good in the Premier League as well. The Englishman had the most goal involvements (33: 22 goals, 11 assists) of any other player in the 2023–24 Premier League season. His form and output led to him being named the Premier League Young Player of the Season and PFA Fans' Player of the Year.

Having won those awards in his first season, there were fears Palmer's form would drop this season as Chelsea had another management change. However, that assumption has been cleared early on, and the  22-year-old looks like he has even moved into another gear. 

Palmer this season 

Palmer began the 2024/25 season the same way he ended the last, scoring in Chelsea's second league game against Wolves. His goal in that game would go on to win the Premier League Goal of the Month award for August 2024, making Palmer the first player in Premier League history to win the award twice in a row across two seasons.

Not only did he score in that game, but Palmer also assisted all three of Noni Madueke's goals, helping Chelsea defeat Wolves 6–2. This performance led to his nomination for August 2024's Premier League Player of the Month award.

Palmer vs Brighton 

However, Palmer's best game, and perhaps his most significant performance to date, came in Chelsea's 4-2 win over Brighton in September. 

The England international tormented a Brighton side that arrived at Stamford Bridge in good form, scoring all four goals for the hosts in their 4-2 victory. 

All four strikes came in a hectic first half in west London, meaning Palmer became the first player in Premier League history to score four goals before half-time in a single match. 

The manner in which he scored those goals makes it even more spectacular. The first goal was a simple finish at the edge of the penalty box from a Nicolas Jackosn pass, while the second was a well-slotted penalty. 

The third was the best of the lot, with a beautiful free-kick bent into Bart Verbruggen's top left, giving the Blues a 3-1 lead. A fourth came from a superb run from Jadon Sancho, but Palmer showed his eye for goal by being at the right place to receive the pass and picking the right corner to score. 

He also bagged four in Chelsea's 6-0 win against Everton last season. So he is only the second Blues player to score four goals in two different Premier League games after Frank Lampard in 2008 (against Derby County) and 2010 (against Aston Villa).

Best player in the league?

Palmer's performance in that game against Brighton has led to increased shouts that he is simply the best player in the league. 

While one game is not enough to crown Palmer the best player in the league, there is genuine evidence over the past 24 months that suggests the Englishman is the best in the league.  

So, what makes Cole Palmer arguably the best player in the league? What makes the Chelsea top-scorer so special?

Here are a few things that make 'Cold' Palmer stand out. 

Elite Mentality

Palmer's mentality is perhaps the biggest thing that sets him apart and why he can be considered the Premier League's best player.

The very first sign of the England international's mentality came in his decision to leave the comforts of Man City for Chelsea. 

It's not like the demands are higher at Stamford Bridge than at Etihad. Still, Palmer's decision to leave a City team where he would have been at least guaranteed success and trophies to a Chelsea team still in transition suggests that he isn't shy of taking responsibility.

Even more telling of his desire to take responsibility is that he became Chelsea's primary penalty taker in his first month at the club, ahead of more established names in the team. And if agreeing to take penalties isn't enough, his success rate while executing penalties shows that 'Cold' Palmer has ice in his veins.

His penalty against Brighton last month was his 10th successful spot-kick in the Premier League out of 10 attempts. Only Yaya Toure (11/11) has a 100% record from more attempts in the competition.

Goal contributions 

Goals wins games, and Palmer scores and has a hand in lots of it.

The England international has scored 31 times in just 53 appearances for Chelsea to date. Since moving to Chelsea, the attacking midfielder has had 43 Premier League goal involvements. That's ahead of Erling Haaland (39 – 34 goals, five assists), Kylian Mbappé (37 – 29 goals, eight assists) and Ollie Watkins (36 – 23 goals, 13 assists). Only Harry Kane (49) has had more in Europe's top five leagues in that time (49 – 38 goals, 11 assists) than Palmer's 43 (28 goals, 15 assists). 

Also, excluding penalties, his 33-goal involvements are only behind Kane (43) and Ollie Watkins (36).

Indeed, it is clear that not even the mercurial Mohamed Salah or devastating Erling Haaland can boast his attacking returns. If nothing else shows he is unique, his goal contributions should prove that.

Enzo Maresca factor

Last season, Palmer proved that he was a truly special player. But Chelsea's poor 2023/24 season undermined the 22-year-old's genius.

However, things are looking up for Enzo Maresca's side, and it is coincidentally helping everyone see Palmer's brilliance. The new Chelsea manager has taken some bold decisions at Stamford Bridge that are paying off and bringing out the best in his squad, including Palmer.

Maresca has Chelsea fighting for the top four, with Palmer at the heart of it. Perhaps their working relationship is helped by the fact Palmer and his new coach go way back during the Italian's time at Man City.

Under the former Pep Guardiola assistant, Palmer is playing a little wider and deeper, drifting more to the right, which allows him to turn inside onto his wand of a left foot and try to release a teammate. 

The 22-year-old is maintaining his output despite not touching the ball inside the opposition's penalty box as often.

Other Cole Palmer's stats 

Impressively, Palmer has had the most assists in the Premier League (15) since his move to Chelsea, while only Haaland (34) has scored more Premier League goals in that time. The 22-year-old with 28 goals has five goals more than third-placed Watkins (23). 

Meanwhile, five of his 28 goals have come from outside the box, with only Phil Foden (six) scoring more in that time. This proves that he is no tap-in merchant or a player who is uninvolved in build-up play.

For those who care about expected goals (xG) stats, Palmer has the highest xG assisted total in the Premier League (the total xG of shots taken following chance-creating passes). According to Opta, the Chelsea midfielder leads the way with 3.18 after six games, with only Bukayo Saka (2.43) and Dwight McNeil (2.34) even within 1.0 of his total.

Meanwhile, only eight players have made more progressive passes than Palmer's 28 in the Premier League this season. Of midfielders or forwards who attempted at least 100 passes, only McNeil (19.2 metres) has averaged a longer successful pass distance than Palmer's 18.9m.

Also, only Saka (nine) has recorded as many as Palmer's seven big chances created. A 'big chance' is a situation where a player has a reasonable expectation of scoring a goal, while no player in the Premier League has created more than Palmer's 15 chances from open play this season (Dejan Kulusevski also has 15 to his name).

Conclusion 

Cole Palmer has proven that he is truly a special player. The England international is one of the favourites to win the Premier League Golden Boot this season. 

Not often do attacking midfielders produce the kind of numbers Palmer is producing. Therefore, we dare say that his uniqueness and goal return are some of the main reasons buying Chelsea tickets is a wise decision.