Palmer has now gone seven games without a goal or assist for the Blues despite having produced 14 goals and six assists in 27 games this season. The England international sent a message to fans stating that he will return to form soon enough in the final stages of the season.
“Don’t worry I will be back.”
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca commented on Palmer’s form after their 4-0 win over Southampton this week and joked that all top players go through poor spells but eventually bounce back even if it takes a longer time than anyone expected.
"It is quite easy. All of them, they went through some bad moments, it is normal," he commented. "You cannot expect every season or game, it is normal.
"He is a human being. He misses goals, he misses some things, it is about how you react I was telling him it's OK."
At just 22 years old Palmer is one of Europe’s top talents and much like any top player around his age such as Manchester City’s Phil Foden, Barcelona's Yamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, form is never fully consistent and can ebb and flow. There is no player in history who has never had a poor spell of form and Palmer is no exception to that.
One argument for Palmer’s lack of goal contributions is the Chelsea team itself who despite spending £1bn on a super team are struggling as of late. Maresca’s side have just two Premier League wins in February and have won just 4 of their last 10 games which includes a win over bottom of the league Southampton and League Two side Morecambe.
Place any world-class player in Chelsea’s current side and they would struggle to perform at their best. This is due to the club’s complete rebuilding of the squad which has effectively thrown several talented stars together in the hopes of success. Teams who consistently challenge for the title such as Manchester City and Liverpool have been meticulously constructed over time which explains the Reds' lack of spending in the last two transfer windows as they search for exactly the right players.
This Chelsea side will flourish, with the amount of young talent at their disposal there is no doubt about that. However, Palmer’s excellent statistics this season show that he does not need to wait for the squad to reach their peak for him to be at his best. Despite his form as of late, he is the club’s top scorer by 5 goals and tops the assist table with 1 more than Nicolas Jackson even though his last assist came in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in December.
Palmer’s goal drought is meaningless and as he prepares to face FC Kobenhavn in the Conference League and relegation candidates Leicester City, it would not surprise anyone if he finds the back of the net once again.
Chelsea will need to find inspiration in the next few weeks against Arsenal, Tottenham and Brentford where Palmer will likely be the player to make the difference.