Chelsea must not let Kasey Palmer become the loan army’s promotion artist
By George Perry
Kasey Palmer helped Huddersfield and Derby County chase promotion to the Premier League over the last two seasons. Chelsea must take decisive action to ensure he does not become a “promotion artist” at the expense of his development.
Kasey Palmer had a nearly ideal start to his first-team career on loan at Huddersfield. Arriving in the Championship from Chelsea’s U23’s at age 19, Palmer had 16 starts, four goals and three assists in the first half of the season. An Achilles injury ended his season in February, but his first half performance was sufficient for David Wagner to bring him back on another loan with the Terriers in the Premier League.
His time in the top flight only last three games before more injuries and the loss of match readiness kept him out for the remainder of 2017. Palmer returned to Chelsea, who loaned him back to the Championship, this time to Derby. He finished the season with 15 appearances and two goals for the Rams. With Derby, unlike Huddersfield, he was able to play in the Championship promotion playoff. But again unlike Huddersfield, the Rams did not promote.
Palmer is now linked to Norwich City and Sheffield United. The two Championship mid-table clubs think Palmer can do for them what he did for Huddersfield and Derby County. As flattering as that is, Chelsea need to ensure it does not happen.
Norwich City’s and Sheffield United’s interest in Palmer is a prima facie case for why Palmer should not return to the Championship. Any Chelsea academy player who does so well in two Championship loans that two other teams want him for their promotion push is de facto ready for more than another Championship loan. It’s one thing for a manager to gain a reputation as an escape or promotion artist. That is a career niche he developed over years. For a young player, though, it’s a major risk of stagnation.
Chelsea do not loan their players out to help other teams gain promotion. Yes, the loanees are there to help their foster clubs achieve their goals. But from Chelsea’s perspective, the only goal should be the players’ development. If Chelsea want Palmer to continue progressing towards the first team, he needs top flight experience. That can come in England, Germany, Holland or Italy. But it cannot come in the second tier.
Palmer needs at least one more season on loan before he can hope to join the Blues’ first team. At the very least, he needs an injury-free season. He also needs to work towards Chelsea’s expected accumulation of 150 senior games.
Palmer also needs the time for Chelsea to sort out their central attacking midfielders. Mason Mount will likely leapfrog Palmer into the first team. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also set to stay at Stamford Bridge this season. They will represent the academy in the central attacking midfield depth chart behind Ross Barkley, and possibly Danny Drinkwater if the Blues decide to keep him.
The Blues finally had a solid contingent of loanees in the Premier League in 2017/18, and should aim to make that the norm. Considering how well Ruben Loftus-Cheek developed at Crystal Palace, and Roy Hodgson’s affinity for Chelsea’s young, English attacking midfielders, Selhurst Park could be a solid destination for Kasey Palmer next season. Now that Huddersfield have the confidence from surviving their first season, David Wagner may be willing to bring Palmer back. Chelsea have the relationships, but without Michael Emenalo, they risk regressing into chaos with their player management.
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Academy grads like Kasey Palmer will always attract a lot of interest. Chelsea much have a plan focussed on the players first, and find the loan that will do the most for the Blues. For Palmer, that means moving on from the Championship.