Noni Madueke believes “the sky is the limit” for his close friend and Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer as they prepare to play for the England senior side together for the first time.
Madueke and Palmer have played together since they were in the same England Under-15 team, and were reunited at Chelsea last summer where they now have an excellent partnership.
Madueke, speaking in a press conference at St George’s Park on Tuesday afternoon, talked about how there were no bounds to what Palmer could achieve in his career.
“I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Madueke said of Palmer. “I don’t know if he has a ceiling, I don’t know what his ceiling is. But I feel like the form that he’s showing now is incredible. And I just hope he can continue that.”
Madueke spoke in detail about Palmer’s remarkable calmness on the pitch, which has seen him score 28 Premier League goals since joining Chelsea.
Palmer also scored England’s equaliser in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin this summer, although he has yet to make himself a regular starter for the England senior side. Thursday night’s game against Greece could be Palmer’s first England appearance under Lee Carsley, after he withdrew from September’s squad through injury.
“Cole Palmer’s a very unique player,” Madueke said. “A type of player that doesn’t feel pressure, in the most pressurised situations. I admire that about him. He’s a great footballer. And I’m sure he’s going to produce for England, just as he does for Chelsea.”
Asked to explain how Palmer could be so calm under pressure, Madueke said: “It’s just his demeanour really, he’s just relaxed. He’s just as relaxed off the pitch as he is on the pitch. That’s just him. Some people are just like that. That’s his character. And it works for him on the pitch. Cole’s just unique in that sense, where he can just go on the pitch, play the game, have fun, play the game to enjoy it, and he’ll produce anyway. That’s just him.“
Palmer and Madueke have been together in the England system since they were playing for the Under-15s, when the former was at Manchester City and the latter at Tottenham. Their relationship on the pitch is there for all to see — Palmer has assisted all four of Madueke’s Premier League goals this season.
“It’s a good connection.” Madueke said. “Firstly we’ve been playing with each other for a very long time now, since we were Under-15 here at England. I feel like that’s one thing. I feel like we’re very good friends off the pitch, so he probably looks for me a lot, just as I look for him. He’s got a killer pass, and I’m very dynamic, so I think it just works.”
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
