Chelsea’s young midfielder, Cole Palmer, shed light on his past with new manager Enzo Maresca, who recently took the reins at Stamford Bridge following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure.
While Maresca arrives from Leicester City, Chelsea fans might be interested to know he previously held the role of assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
This is where Palmer’s connection comes in – a City academy graduate himself before his £40 million move to Chelsea last year.
“We crossed paths during my Under-21s season at City,” Palmer revealed in an interview with the UK Telegraph. “Enzo then moved on to Parma, but our paths intertwined again when I got promoted to the senior team under Pep, and guess who returned as Pep’s assistant? It was Enzo!”
Palmer went on to praise Maresca’s coaching abilities, particularly his tactical acumen. He even credited Maresca with a pivotal decision in his development: “He’s a fantastic coach, especially when it comes to tactics.
He’ll definitely elevate the team’s performance. Interestingly, Enzo was the one who shifted me to the right wing. Before that, I primarily played as a number 10 in the Under-18s.
That switch under Enzo, during my first full season with the Under-23s, really shaped my game.”