Even Arsenal icon thinks Cole Palmer is better than Bukayo Saka

29 June 2024 - 3:05 am

The England national team did what they usually do in the group stages, which is play completely bland football, but made it into the knockout rounds due to an easy group.

Chelsea attacking midfielder Cole Palmer was a rare highlight when he made the most of his 19-minute cameo as a substitute in the recent 0-0 draw with Slovenia.

Frustratingly, Palmer, who scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists for Chelsea last season, is yet to feature for England at Euro 2024, but at the moment, everyone is calling for him to be included in the XI .

Clearly, Palmer and Anthony Gordon should start for England as the difference-makers in attack and are among the best players in the Premier League in their respective positions.

Palmer has received support from all quarters, including, surprisingly, from Arsenal circles, as the Gunners club icon believes Gareth Southgate should sacrifice a club star to allow Palmer to feature Right wing.

Yes, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright believes England should move Arsenal right-winger Bukayo Saka to left-back in favor of Chelsea’s attacking midfielder and right-winger Cole Palmer Just start on the right side of England’s attack.

Wright said: “I was wondering, if that’s the case, how do we get Palmer into the team? If that’s the case, with Saka being such a natural left-back, maybe you could put Saka at left-back. , putting Palmer on the right side just because we need to get some balance and fluidity in the game.

Saka has played left back before and performed well enough in this position. England have no real left-back apart from the injured Luke Shaw, so the Arsenal star could be a viable replacement for Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier.

But the wider statement is that the two-time Arsenal Player of the Season beat Chelsea’s best player to Arsenal’s best player in his first-choice role in the national team, and that’s an important statement.

The report claims Wright believes Chelsea’s Palmer has more to offer the England squad than Arsenal’s Saka, and based on what fans have seen at Euro 2024, that’s a legitimate claim.

Saka had a poor performance against Serbia, not creating any chances, a poor performance in the draw with Denmark, and an even worse performance in the 0-0 against Slovenia.

Palmer provided more of a spark last season and was arguably better than Saka, with the Chelsea breakout star scoring six more goals and providing two more assists than the Arsenal man despite playing less minutes .