Cole Palmer steals spotlight with four-goal masterclass but Dream Team bosses left conflicted over future prospects

COLE PALMER (£6.2m) took another step up the ladder towards superstardom at the weekend when he scored four goals in one half against Brighton.

Chelsea’s talisman produced a breathtaking performance that featured two goals from open play, a trademark penalty, and a sensational free-kick for a return of 34 Dream Team points in one fell swoop.

Needless to say, the 22-year-old is comfortably Gameweek 6’s top performer at the time of writing and one of his rivals will have to produce something special in midweek to dethrone him.

Suddenly, Palmer is ranked third among all Dream Team assets with a season total of 79 points to his name.

Erling Haaland (£9.2m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.5m) are the two players above him on 97 and 83 points respectively.

What’s notable is that 67% of Palmer’s points have come from just two outings; the other coming against Wolves in Gameweek 2 when he banked 19 points via a goal and three assists.

The England international now has six goals and four assists to his name in 2024/25 and he’s perhaps unlucky not to have more goal contributions to his name as only Bukayo Saka (£6.4m) has created more big chances for his team-mates so far this campaign.

Palmer has rapidly become one of Premier League’s top stars, not to mention a Dream Team favourite.

He currently features in 52.8% of teams; only Haaland boasts a higher ownership (71.9%).

And the former Manchester City youngster will inevitably increase in popularity ahead of Gameweek 7 after his magnificent display against the Seagulls.

However, gaffers should take everything into account when weighing up Palmer’s future prospects.

On the plus side, he’s evidently a prodigious talent capable of massive double-digit hauls – Saturday wasn’t even the first time he scored four goals in a game for the Blues!

On the other hand, Palmer’s viability was partially limited when he was omitted from Chelsea’s Conference League squad.

Enzo Maresca explained that the decision was designed to manage the midfielder’s workload, telling Chelsea’s website: “We are trying to protect the players and give them the right minutes at the right moment.”

This means Palmer won’t play against Gent later this week or any other European fixture until at least the knockout stage, when he may be added to the squad if the West London side qualify.

Dream Team bosses should endeavour to select plenty of players active in the European competitions, particularly during the busy continental period from now until mid-December.

Additionally, Chelsea’s domestic fixtures are far from favourable across the next few Gameweeks.

Maresca’s side are set to face Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Arsenal in their next five league games.

Of course, Palmer has the ability to earn returns against any opponent but a lack of European commitments combined with a relatively tricky run of league fixtures is something of a spanner in the works.

No doubt many Dream Team bosses will feel conflicted this week but they will have to decide whether they prioritise a player’s individual ability (of which Palmer has plenty) or the schedule.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk