Troy Deeney says Enzo Maresca has a ‘problem brewing’ with Cole Palmer
'How are you going to keep him happy?'
Troy Deeney reckons that Chelsea may find it difficult to keep Cole Palmer happy at the club if they don’t qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea enjoyed a fast start this season under new boss Enzo Maresca and were even briefly considered as challengers for the Premier League title.
However, a disappointing run of just two wins from their last nine league fixtures has seen the Blues not only tumble out of title contention but also the top four.
Maresca repeatedly dismissed the notion that Chelsea could contend for the league this season, but the Italian has now also suggested that he is under no pressure to qualify for the top four this season.
‘I didn’t say our target was top four. The club never told me the target was top four,’ the Italian said prior the Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Friday which saw his side drop to sixth in the table.
‘When I signed here, the target was in two years playing in the Champions League, not in one year. This is why I have said many times we are above my expectation.’
However, that view has not been shared by Deeney who said Maresca was doing his side a disservice by underplaying expectations to such an extent.
‘With Chelsea, they’ve spent a billion pounds – what are we talking about? This is not a rebuild,’ he said on talkSPORT.
‘You’ve still got Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth who are ahead of you. You can’t talk with 15 games left that you’re ahead of schedule.
‘No, the schedule changes and expectations change. I think he’s doing himself a disservice.’
And the former Watford striker went further, suggesting that the club could find it hard to hold onto their prized asset should they fail to qualify for the Champions League for a third successive season.
Palmer has registered an impressive 14 goals and six assists in 25 league games this season but Deeney suggested the talented midfielder may start to get itchy feet if he feels the club can’t match his level of ambition.
‘They’re a billion-pound team that is still Cole Palmer or nothing,’ he said.
‘Give it to Cole Palmer and if he’s good, we’re good. When a manager is so blind to it and making excuses the players just eat that up.
‘I think there’s a problem brewing with that – if you don’t get Champions League how are you going to keep him happy?’
Former Chelsea striker Loic Remy is another who questioned Palmer’s long-term future at the club should Maresca’s side fail to secure a top-four finish this season.
‘Chelsea players might fear that Cole Palmer will want to leave the club if they don’t compete for trophies because that is the nature of football,’ Remy told Plejmo.com.
‘When I was at Marseille I left to join QPR because I had some value at the time, sometimes things happen in football and players move on.
‘Palmer will want to win trophies and if Chelsea can’t do that then eventually he might decide to move on.’
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