Why Saka is picked as the best young player in the Premier League ahead of Palmer

Today at 11:30 AM

Cole Palmer is now universally agreed upon as one of the best players in the Premier League, so it's easy to forget that 18 months ago he only had a handful of Premier League starts to his name.

The way he instantly became a starter and a key player at Chelsea has made it easy to forget he was a total fringe player for Man City for the years before that.

Speaking in an interview with SportBible, Micah Richards actually counted this against Palmer when he was judging who the best player in the league was. He reckons that because Bukayo Saka has been performing at the top level for longer than Palmer, he deserves the nod:

"Saka's done it for longer than Palmer, hasn't he? So I can't say I strongly agree that he's the best young player because Saka has done it for longer. If Saka's not involved, I strongly agree [that Palmer is the best]."

It's a fair point – they're almost in opposite camps given how young Saka was when he became a regular for Arsenal.

Palmer inspiring next generation of players

Also featured in that chat was Jamie Redknapp, who gave his opinion on Palmer as a player:

"He's not a young player. He's just a great player. I love watching him play. He's a throwback. He's exciting to watch. He doesn't care. Young players love him," said Redknapp.

It's an interesting point – Palmer has a very charming childish energy himself, and we all know about his love of FIFA. We can only imagine what his unique and entertaining style is doing in terms of inspiring young players and kids just getting into the game now.

If we can have a whole generation of young Palmers growing up around the world, that would be fantastic for everyone…