WESLEY FOFANA knows all about playing alongside elite forwards – and reckons Cole Palmer is right up there with the very best.
The Chelsea defender has the likes of Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe as France team-mates, so he is in a good place to judge.
And described Palmer as on a “different planet” after the forward marked his return to Stamford Bridge with the opener in the Everton win.
England star Palmer looked back to his brilliant best on his first outing at the Blues’ home since the opening day of the season.
Fofana said: “He’s from a different planet.
“He’s close to the likes of Mbappe and Dembele, very, very close. I play with them for France, and they’re very good players, but he’s right at the top.
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“Everyone can see it, even though he only played 58 minutes; the fans can see his importance.
“He’s the best player in our team when he’s on the pitch. He’s different. He’s a star.”
But if Palmer, 23, is to become Chelsea’s answer to Real Madrid star Mbappe, he needs to find consistency in his fitness.
He has started just four Premier League games this season due to groin and toe injuries, which forced him to miss more than two months.
Despite starting the last two league outings, Blues boss Enzo Maresca said he is not yet in a position to be playing on a regular basis.
That means more rotation for Maresca, with Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at League One Cardiff the first of 12 games in just 46 days.
But Fofana already believes Chelsea are handling a busy December reasonably well, saying: “It has been a hard month, and it’s not finished because we have games coming every two or three days.
“We are trying to give everything. The manager and the staff have managed the team well, which is a bit new for everyone, but everyone is focused.
“The most important thing is to keep the guys fit and to try to win games.”
“The rotation is good, I talk a lot with the manager.
“The programme we set for now is just to play one game per week, but the team feels good.
“The manager chooses his 11, the guys on the bench are focused, and we’re all together.”
As for Everton, midfielder James Garner felt the best team LOST – with Chelsea just more clinical.
Jack Grealish missed a sitter, while Iliman Ndiaye struck the inside of the post after the Toffees found themselves 2-0 down following Palmer and Malo Gusto goals.
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There were more concerns for Everton after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall hobbled off early on, while Jack Grealish suffered a hamstring injury and Ndiaye is off to the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Garner said:” We were the better team throughout the 90 minutes, but they were very clinical. It was quite disappointing overall.
“KDH has probably been our best player over the past four or five weeks, so to lose him so early on was tough.
“We want to finish in the top half if we can’t get into a European spot this season.”
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