Cole Palmer shares five-word note to Chelsea supporters as goal-scoring struggle persists

There’s a quiet kind of fight in Cole Palmer these days not the chest-thumping, arms-flailing sort you see when players lose their cool, but the sort that brews deep inside when the goals stop coming and the world starts watching a little too closely.

No drama. No finger-pointing. No sulking on the touchline. Just a half-shrug and a tired smile to the cameras after another goalless night even as Chelsea hammered Southampton 4–0, Seven shots. 

Zero goals, Seven games now without one. For a kid who’d made Stamford Bridge his playground just months ago, it’s a strange new silence. But he’s not hiding.

And that says more than most will notice

It’s a Drought, But It’s Not a Collapse
Let’s call it what it is he’s stuck in a drought. Twenty-seven shots without one hitting the net. Not ideal. Not for a player wearing Chelsea’s No. 20, not when you’re expected to be the creative core of a team still figuring itself out under a new manager.

Yet football isn’t just a spreadsheet. When you watch Palmer glide between the lines, drop into midfield, or angle a pass defenders didn’t see coming it’s clear his head is still in the game. 

Sure, the finishing’s off, but he’s still picking intelligent spaces, still dragging markers to open gaps for others. Even when the stadium fell quiet one Sunday afternoon, the East Stand’s murmur was telling: they believed his moment was still coming.

And Enzo Maresca? He’s not sweating it.

“He’ll score again. No doubt,” the boss said the other day when asked about Palmer’s slump. “It’s all about the reaction. And Cole’s reacting the right way working, smiling, staying light. That tells you everything.”

He meant every word. This is no boyish pep talk Maresca has seen talented youngsters crack under pressure. He’s no stranger to coaching in front of 40,000 noisy fans. That calm conviction meant something in that press room.

That Free Kick… It Was Almost Ironic
There was a moment late on against Southampton that just kind of summed it all up. Chelsea were already cruising at 3–0. Palmer stood over a free-kick just outside the box. 

The run-up was smooth. The hit? Clean, curl and drive enough to warrant a wave of encouragement from the stands.

Then Ramsdale got a fingertip on it. Just enough to tip it wide.

Palmer didn’t react with fury. No theatrics. He looked up, smirked like a guy who knows football can be a game of inches. He jogged back, head held, ready for the next play.

There was no sulk, no complaint. Just acceptance, mixed with belief.

That’s the mark of someone who’s still in there. Still present. Still engaged. And for Chelsea watchers, that one moment said more than 27 miss hits could.

A Message That Didn’t Need Dressing Up
After the final whistle, Palmer took the tap and posted to his social channels: “Don’t worry, I’ll return.”

No emojis. No cryptic vibes. No desperation. Just a simple promise and a nod to his teammates, whom he thanked for ending the three-game rut.

That gesture wasn’t just gracious. It was a reminder: he knows he’s part of a team, not just a headline. It’s vintage Palmer grounded, team-first, confident.

Chelsea fans have felt that loyalty. And despite Stamford Bridge’s fickleness, there’s a growing sense that they’re backing him. 

They remember what he delivered when the club was lost last season: clutch penalties, match-turners, and that growing sense of ownership. He’s earned a ledger of grace.

This Isn’t New… It’s Just Football
Anyone acting like this is some dramatic fall has clearly never watched football properly. This happens. A lot.

In recent memory, Bukayo Saka went through his own quiet spell after a tough Euro campaign. Phil Foden needed weeks to rediscover his spark after the World Cup. Even Eden Hazard, an icon, had stretches at Chelsea where the goals just dried up.

They all found their footing again.

“Let him breathe,” Maresca told Match of the Day. “He’s not a robot. He’s human. And even when he’s not scoring, he’s still giving us something.”

That’s the nuance many miss. You don’t disappear because you miss a few chances. You evolve. Palmer’s still influencing play, still keeping defences honest even when the net hasn’t rippled.

What’s Actually Missing? And Should We Be Worried?
some fans have noted Palmer’s lack of animation lately. He’s not bursting into the box with the same urgency. His arms don’t rise for every shot he takes. And that’s fair, it’s noticeable.

But pause for a second: this is a 22-year-old who was, just over a year ago, a young gun waiting in the wings at Manchester City. Overnight, he became Chelsea’s No. 1 creative spark. That’s pressure. He’s still adjusting.


Still, football’s not patient. Chelsea need goals especially with Nkunku bedding in and Sterling needing rhythm. If Palmer stays quiet too long, murmurs will start turning to noise. They can’t afford a prolonged slump in the championship chase.

Patience at Stamford Bridge has a short fusebut intent goes a long way.

Behind the Scenes: Insiders See the Signs
In the dressing room, those closest to him speak of Palmer’s professionalism. A friend close to the squad said, “He’s the first one in, last one out. No drama, no complaining. Just extra training, extra thinking.”

Pundits have noticed it too. Former striker Darren Bent told talkSPORT: “If he keeps taking chances like that free-kick, 90 minutes in, goal’s coming. He’s not panic-inducing. He’s zoning.”

And rival managers? They’ve quietly admitted Palmer still has that unpredictability a glimmer in his eye that says, I’m about to do something. That’s not feedback you want to lose.

Looking Ahead: Finals Lurk, Form Matters
Chelsea’s fixture list doesn’t wait: Newcastle at home, Arsenal away, Wolves and Villa to finish the run. If Palmer doesn’t score soon, headlines might shift from moment to emergency.

But here’s the twist: form doesn’t always follow heat.

Maresca set a subtle trap when he shuffled Palmer into a deeper link role recently. It’s meant to free him from pure finishing duty while simultaneously testing his vision. A risky call but maybe a smart one to release his mind.

If Maresca finds the spark, and Palmer adapts, next week’s game might be where it turns. If not well, you get tension. Either way, it’s edge-of-the-seat football. And we all crave that return to form from a young talent in the storm.

Wanderlustsport Thought: Standing in the Storm
Let’s be clear: this is not a career blip. It’s a lesson. A test. A moment that will define Palmer beyond raw ability.

The kid who shook off City’s bench to fill Stamford Bridge has found himself cracked, but not broken. He’s not folding. He’s pushing forward, shoulders square, doing it in public. That’s tough.

Goals will come he might even bag a brace when no one expects it. And when he does, any fan in that stand that day he stood over the free-kick, smirked at the narrow miss, will smile. Because they’ll know: he never lost himself.

He just took a beat. And that takes more conviction than even a match-winner sometimes.