Troy Deeney has picked one Chelsea player as the one he is most looking forward to this season in his role as Gareth Crooks’ successor in the BBC’s Team of the Week column.
The former Watford striker retired earlier this year but has been appearing regularly in newspapers and on the radio for some time now.
Deeney is set to take over the BBC’s Team of the Week column from long-serving host Crooks for the upcoming Premier League season and has picked Cole Palmer as the player he is “most looking forward to seeing”.
Palmer enjoyed a stunning debut campaign at Stamford Bridge following a surprise move from Manchester City, scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, including 22 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League.
That was enough for Palmer to earn a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad, providing an assist in the semi-final against the Netherlands and a goal in the final defeat to Spain, despite making limited appearances from the bench.
Deeney ‘looking forward’ to seeing Cole Palmer
“Palmer was a bit of a surprise after his move from Manchester City, and I don’t think teams were always specifically designed to stop him.
“It will be different this time, and a lot harder now that everyone knows how good he is, but he is so talented, I still think he will shine.”
But Deeney then pointed to Palmer’s role as a substitute at the Euros as an example of the caution he will have to exercise when deciding who is retained.
“Palmer had a great Euro 2024 and was one of the England players who came out of the tournament really well, but I think the way he was used in Germany is an example of how I will have to be careful when picking players who don’t start games,” Deeney added.
“Palmer has made all five of his Euro appearances as a second-half substitute and came on for the first time in the 66th minute against Slovakia.
“It’s not his fault he was on the bench and anyone who comes on late in a game and makes an impact deserves credit, but it’s one thing to make the difference in a game that’s going downhill and another to dominate it from the start.”
