Eden Hazard gives Chelsea £43m transfer green light as Mauricio Pochettino sent ‘magical’ claim

Eden Hazard has endorsed the signing of Cole Palmer. The 21-year-old midfielder, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City late into the summer transfer window, has earned the Belgian’s approval following a brilliant start to life at Stamford Bridge.

After missing out on Michael Olise, the Chelsea co-sporting directors took a risk and, without consulting Mauricio Pochettino, they raced to sign Palmer from the Premier League champions. Despite leaving the Etihad Stadium at such short notice, the England international hit the ground running in west London.

Palmer, who sees his contract expire in 2030, has featured 21 times in the English top flight this term, scoring ten goals and providing six assists. While his impressive performances haven’t managed to drag Chelsea into the top-four just yet, he has caught the eye of Hazard.

Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, hosted by John Obi Mikel, the former Blues winger described Palmer as a ‘top player’ and claimed there’s ‘something magical’ about him. Hazard said: “Cole Palmer is a top, top player. You know left-footers at times have something magical.”

Palmer, who just like Hazard did during his time at Chelsea, has claimed the role of designated penalty taker at Stamford Bridge. Hazard added: “You have to score penalties, man. People just say penalties are easy — go and shoot! It’s not that easy.”

Earlier this season, Palmer joined the Belgian in an elite club at Chelsea, becoming only the fifth player to reach double figures for goal involvements in a single campaign aged 21 or under. The other players to do so are Arjen Robben in 2004/05, Hazard in his debut season, Mason Mount in 2020/21 and Christian Pulisic in 2019/20.