Cole Palmer needs Nicolas Jackson to function at Chelsea – he gives him the space to shine.
That’s the opinion of Arsenal legend Martin Keown, who believes Jackson’s absence in the Blues side has contributed to Palmer’s poor form of late.
Palmer is currently enduring his worst spell as a Chelsea player, having failed to be directly involved in any goals during his last nine games in all competitions.
And that run could stretch to ten with the west London outfit to face rivals Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday – a team they have lost seven out of their last 11 games to.
England international Palmer has scored twice from his three fixtures against the Gunners, and Chelsea fans will be desperate to see him end his barren spell in north London.
Nothing seems to be going right for the ex-Manchester City playmaker, with Palmer hitting an unwanted career first in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Leicester last weekend.
Prior to Marc Cucurella’s second half winner, the 22-year-old missed the first penalty of his career having previously scored each of his 12 spot-kicks for the Blues.
And while he has unarguably been a massive hit since his £42.5million arrival in 2023, there is undoubtedly concern over his drop-off.
But Keown believes Jackson‘s hamstring injury has played its part, with the Senegalese striker stretching defences to give Palmer the space to attack.
Sadly for Chelsea supporters, Jackson, who has missed his side’s last five matches, will not be in action against Arsenal as he targets a comeback after the March international break.
Speaking to talkSPORT.com, Keown was asked whether supporters should be worried over Palmer’s drop-off in 2025.
To which he said: “I think it’s linked to Jackson being fit.
“I think he’s really underrated and I looked at his statistics – he’s making more high-intensity runs than any other player.
“Almost 100 more runs into channels, he’s freeing up space for Palmer.
“OK, it [Palmer’s form] started to drop a little bit before Jackson gets his injury.
“But they need him back really quickly.
“And of course, again, recruitment, it’s an area Chelsea will want to strengthen despite the fact they’ve spent £1.5billion on players.”
Despite Palmer’s form, Chelsea have returned to winning ways – beating relegation-threatened Southampton and Leicester in their last two matches.
Their victories have lifted them back into fourth spot having previously won just two from their ten previous top-flight matches.
But Keown isn’t getting carried away by their positive results, as he stated that their current stars may be feeling the pressure of Chelsea’s history under ex-owner Roman Abramovich’s stewardship.
He also insisted that comments made by boss Enzo Maresca where he insisted his side were not in a title race may have done more harm than good.
Pressed as to whether Chelsea have turned a corner, Keown remarked: “Well, they were two useful home games.
“You play Southampton and then you play Leicester, it was on the brink a little bit with the fans, [there is] high expectations with the last regime of ownership.
“They won 21 trophies in 19 years and they’re looking at the [current] team and thinking, ‘Are they really at the level anymore?’
“So it’s a hard club to play for from that point of view with their history.
“It seems to be weighing heavy a little bit on the players.
“Cole Palmer, no goals in seven [Premier League games]. But six points on the board and you’re back in the top four.
“So that’s a launching pad really now for the rest of the season, it’s important what they do and what he [Maresca] says.
“Because I do feel that where he kind of lowered the bar a little bit around the Christmas period when he was saying they weren’t in the race to win it, it seemed to have put the brakes on their success.”
