Cole Palmer is still a template pick with 62.5% ownership and the second-highest (though distant to Salah) point-scorer in Fantasy Premier League 2024-25. But the Chelsea no.10 has definitely left his FPL owners disappointed after drawing the third blank in the last four games. The away fixture against Brighton seemed a bit tricky but Fabian Hurzeler’s men didn’t allow him much space in his 90-minute show.
Considering his sky-high price-tag of £11.2m, blanking thrice in four games surely leaves enough room for concern. Moreover, the England international’s underlying numbers are even more worrying. In the last four matches against Wolves, City, West Ham, and Brighton, Palmer has managed a cumulative xGI(Expected Goal Involvement) of only 1.67. And the only attacking return in this period happens to be an assist against West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
This is clearly not enough for a midfielder who costs you more than £11m. But Cole Palmer has been a standout performer this season, after coming to the limelight last time. In Fantasy Premier League 2024/25, the English midfielder has averaged 7pts per game till date. He also has 14 goals and 8 assists to vouch for him.
However, things changed since he appeared against Wolves despite being an injury doubt in gameweek 22. The former Manchester City graduate, who has an xGI per 90’ of 0.78, looked frustrated during his dismal performance against Brighton last weekend. Brighton tamed Chelsea by a 3-0 margin, denting the hopes of Maresca securing a top-4 finish.
Now, we have a 11.2m-pound question — sell or hold Palmer? With so many budget options around the corner, the question becomes unavoidable if not a burning one. See, Palmer is a proven asset in fantasy. Last season, Chelsea made a bargain of a transfer by signing him from City and he ended the FPL season on a high with 244pts. There were 22 goals and 14 assists next to his name.
Chelsea will board a bus ride to Villa Park in gameweek 26, followed by two home ties against bottom-placed Southampton and strugglers Leicester City. In blank gameweek 29, Maresca’s boys will face Arsenal at Emirates. In case you are planning to play a free-hit in BGW29 or a wildcard in gameweek 30, I would suggest you have some patience with Palmer.
But if you really want to square-off Cole, his teammate Nkunku(£5.7m) could be an interesting pick. After Nicolas Jackson got sidelined with a severe hamstring injury, the French midfielder has been playing as the number 9 for Chelsea since the last two games. He would cost you half of Palmer’s price and will offer a high ceiling. Again, it’s a high-risk, high-reward route and the suitability depends on your FPL approach.
