Cole Palmer's Chelsea breakthrough reminds me of Kylian Mbappe - he has three great qualities

Florent Malouda has lauded Cole Palmer for what he has done at Chelsea in his debut season with the club. The former Blues winger even said Palmer's breakthrough at Stamford Bridge reminds him of what Kylian Mbappe did during his emergence at AS Monaco.

Palmer, who signed for Chelsea for £42.5million from Manchester City during last summer's transfer deadline day, has been a revelation since moving to SW6. Only four Chelsea players have played more minutes than Palmer since his arrival in all competitions – underlining his significance to Mauricio Pochettino and his plans moving forward.

Not only that, but Palmer has registered 32 direct goal contributions for the Blues in his first season at the club. He has scored 19 goals in all competitions, while assisting 13 times. At this point, he looks to be a shoo-in to be included in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the upcoming European Championships this summer.

Such an impact has led to comparisons with some Chelsea greats, including Eden Hazard. But it goes beyond that now, to the point where Malouda has likened the impact Palmer has made to Mbappe when he broke through at Monaco back in the 2016/17 season, where the France World Cup winner ended the campaign with a staggering 26 goals and 14 assists for the Ligue 1 club.

Speaking in an interview with Gambling Zone, Malouda said: «I've been very impressed with Cole Palmer this season. He is definitely one of the best signings that Chelsea have made in a long time. He is a very talented, skilful player, but what also impresses me about him is his football IQ and his maturity.

»He is a very mature player. You can even see that in his celebration: he is cold. In the situations he finds himself in, you have to remain ice cold