Cole Palmer told he can become next Zinedine Zidane with help of Chelsea's new signings Estevao Willian & Jamie Gittens - but warned he will never be Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo

England international Palmer joined the global elite when enjoying a stunning debut campaign at Stamford Bridge in 2023-24, as he hit 25 goals in all competitions and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

His output dipped slightly last season, but he was still able to help Chelsea to Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup crowns. Palmer has inherited the No.10 shirt in west London, with the promise of even more to come from him.

The 23-year-old playmaker has already been likened to a few all-time greats, courtesy of his remarkable technical ability, and it is being claimed that he could follow in the footsteps of a legendary World Cup-winning Frenchman.

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has told Compare.bet, with further reinforcements being drafted into Enzo Maresca’s squad: "The comparison between Cole Palmer and Zinedine Zidane was fine a year ago. It wasn't fine last year. But it could be fine again.

"Look, he is definitely a world class player. He's still very, very young. Remember back in the Euros and it was all about a lot of other players, Cole seemed to be sitting on the bench. And I was thinking, ‘What are you doing? Why are you doing that?’ He should be on.

"It doesn't matter who's the sexy player. It's who's doing the business. I think just about any team in the world would be very, very happy to take him. That is the definition of a world-class player.

"He's right up at the level. So Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, don't compare anyone with that because it's not fair. But the next level beneath, I think he's pretty close there already as it is, but he needs to do it year in, year out. And last year was quite a year.

"What's going to help him this year is the players around him, Estevao and Jamie Gittens, they're probably going to make it a bit easier for him and everybody else getting stronger."

Chelsea have pre-season friendly dates with Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan to take in before opening their 2025-26 Premier League campaign at home to London rivals Crystal Palace on August 17.