Troy Deeney has picked a Chelsea player as the one he’s most excited to watch this season in his role taking over from Gareth Crooks on the BBC’s Team of the Week column.
The former Watford striker retired from playing earlier this year but has been a regular feature in newspapers and on radio for some time now.
Deeney is set to take over the BBC Team of the Week column from long-running host Crooks for the upcoming Premier League season and has picked out Cole Palmer as the player he’s ‘looking forward to seeing most’.
Palmer enjoyed a stunning debut campaign at Stamford Bridge following a shock move from Manchester City, notching 25 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions — including 22 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League.
That was enough to earn Palmer a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad, notching an assist in the semi-final against the Netherlands and a goal in the final defeat to Spain despite being restricted to cameo appearances from the bench.
Deeney ‘looking forward’ to watching Cole Palmer
“The player I am looking forward to seeing most is Chelsea’s Cole Palmer. Last season he showed so much of that fearlessness on the ball that I love to see,” Deeney said in an article outlining how he will be making his weekly picks.
“Palmer was a bit of a surprise package after his move from Manchester City, and I don’t think teams were always set up specifically to stop him.
“It will be different this time, and much harder now 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 how he’ll have to be careful when deciding who makes the cut.
“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 I am picking players who don’t start games,” Deeney added.
“All five of Palmer’s appearances at the Euros came as a second-half substitute and the earliest he got on the pitch was in the 66th minute, against Slovakia.
“It is not his fault he was on the bench and anyone who comes on late and has an impact deserves praise, but it is one thing to make a difference in a game that is drifting and another to dominate it from the start.”