Cole Palmer’s one-word social media post has left Chelsea fans pointing the finger at Enzo Maresca.
After a blistering start to the season, the Blues‘ talisman has struggled for form in recent months, with his 14-game goal drought continuing in his side’s 2-2 draw against Ipswich on Sunday.
GettyPalmer has failed to reproduce the form which saw him crowned the 2024 PFA Young Player of the Year lately[/caption]
Palmer‘s faltering performances have coincided with Chelsea’s woes of late, who now face an uphill battle to claim one of the five Champions League qualification spots up for grabs.
The draw with Ipswich saw Enzo Maresca‘s side drop to sixth in the Premier League table, level on points with Aston Villa in seventh.
Having sat second in the league standings at Christmas, the west Londoners’ loss of form has seen their head coach face mounting pressure from fans.
And Palmer’s recent social media activity has done little to alleviate this, with the 22-year-old appearing to send a cryptic message.
Having stayed radio silent in the immediate aftermath of the weekend’s game, the playmaker then reposted an ‘on this day’ video shared by the club’s official account.
With the clip marking a year since Chelsea’s 6-0 win over Everton, which saw Palmer score four goals, he reshared footage of his first strike from the night, a stunning solo effort.
Captioning the post, the England star simply wrote: “Enjoyment,” alongside a beaming face emoji.
And the subtle comment didn’t go unnoticed by the Blues’ faithful, with many seeing this as a hint at his current dissatisfaction.
Sharing their interpretation of the post on social media, plenty felt that Palmer was implying his discontent at Maresca’s style, compared to the free role he was afforded under Mauricio Pochettino last term.
Credit: Instagram: @ColePalmer10Palmer reminisced over past days in a recent Instagram post[/caption]
One assessed: “Surely this is a dig at Maresca?”
Another wrote: “Clearly missing Poch ball when he had more freedom also his way of saying that Maresca ball is not good enough.”
A third simply said: “Maresca ball is killing him man.”
Palmer is currently experiencing his worst spell since joining the Blues from Manchester City in August 2023.
On top of his goalscoring woes, the Englishman had gone three months without registering an assist before having a hand in his side’s winning goal against West Ham in March.
This is a far cry from his stunning debut season at Stamford Bridge, which saw him notch 22 Premier League goals and a further 11 assists.
He started this season in a similar vein of form, having netted on 14 occasions in the league this term, all of these coming before his barren spell began after a draw with Bournemouth on January 14.
Chelsea will need Palmer back to his best if they are to recover their position in the European places.
The Blues have six Premier League games remaining, and face direct rivals Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in the run-in.
Maresca’s criticism in the wake of Palmer’s Instagram activity comes after the Italian coach appeared to suggest the environment at Stamford Bridge is not helping his team to progress on the pitch.
Speaking after the Ipswich draw, he said: “We are stronger with our fans.
“We are a better team and it’s up to them to decide the way to be.”
