Paul Merson ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ to see Cole Palmer lining up for Manchester United next season – but believes Chelsea will hold onto Enzo Fernandez this summer.
The Blues suffered their fourth Premier League defeat in a row on Saturday night up against United to mark the club’s worst losing sequence without scoring a single goal for the primary time since 1998.
That woeful run of form has damaged Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season, sat seven points behind fifth place Liverpool.
With their deal with the FA Cup this weekend, Chelsea could drop to as little as 11th place before the week is out if the perimeters below them pick up victories.
Failure to qualify for the Champions League could raise serious questions over the futures of various first-team stars with Fernandez already flirting with the potential of a summer exit.
Palmer has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent months and despite the England international insisting he’s blissful in west London, Merson sees a move happening.
‘No Champions League football will probably be a kick within the teeth for Chelsea,’ Merson wrote in his column for Sky Sports.
‘Do you think that Cole Palmer will probably be at Chelsea playing within the Europa Conference League? I don’t think so.
‘Manchester United will get into the Champions League, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was playing there next season.
‘I don’t see Enzo Fernandez leaving though. Where is he going? Nobody’s paying £100m for him. And Chelsea aren’t going to just accept a loss on him.
‘There’s lots that should be done at Chelsea. They need a centre-forward, badly. They need a goalkeeper.
‘They’ve got some good defensive midfielders in Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos – but they need one other player in there with a bit more guile.’
Despite talk of being unsettled in London, Palmer insisted last week he’s blissful with life within the capital.
Everyone just talks,’ Palmer told The Guardian.
‘Once I see it I just laugh. Obviously Manchester is my home. All my family are there, but I don’t miss it. Possibly I’ll miss it if I don’t go for 3 months or something. But then after I get home I feel there’s nothing there for me anyway.
‘I’ve got no plans to maneuver from Chelsea. We’ve still got lots to play for. We’ve got the FA Cup semi-final and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in position to sign players that we want.
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