Cole Palmer
Chelsea · Midfielder · England · 2,446 min
Ballity Verdict
What makes this player special?
Cole Palmer covers both boxes. He is not a specialist who only protects or only arrives late — he is the midfielder who can win it, carry it, and still show up in the final third. That two-way presence is what makes him hard to replace in Chelsea's structure.
What separates Palmer from ordinary specialists is breadth inside a coherent family: credible as box crasher, and still trustworthy when asked to step toward creator. That is versatility with a purpose — not a random scatter of average roles.
On the pitch he has actually been used as AM (#10) / CM (#8). That matters: skill-set breadth is one thing; demonstrated deployment is another. Palmer's authenticity claim starts from those minutes, not from a role board alone.
There are no major weakness flags screaming from the current profile — which does not mean he is complete, only that the main story is the strength of what he already does.
Why Ballity says this
- Midfield / role totality: box crasher, creator, shadow striker, carrier
- Shown minutes: AM (#10) / CM (#8)
- No major weakness flags in the current profile
Receipts
- · Player Profile
- · Role Breadth
- · Deployment authenticity
- · Sample · featured
Position
Midfielder
Appearances
28
Great+ roles
3
Age
24
Preferred foot
Left
Height
188 cm
Ballity insights
Peer context vs forwards — how often they get the ball and what they do with it. Separate from role tiers above. Attackers also split separation into on-ball (dribble-created) and off-ball (movement).
Usage rate
Share of team touches (non-GK) among forwards with match data.
11.1% team touches
Peer band · High
Pool percentile
78.8%
Also 56.5 touches/90 (season aggregate).
Efficiency
Output quality per action for forwards.
49 score
Peer band · Low
Pool percentile
26.6%
On-ball separation
Dribble-created space and self-made shot quality.
38 score
Peer band · Elite
Pool percentile
95.3%
Off-ball separation
Movement-created space on assisted attempts.
54 score
Peer band · Minimal
Pool percentile
1.6%
Balance & structural weaknesses
How complete this player is on the position's job board — strengths and holes.
How we define this
Two-way = Great+ on ≥2 complementary axes. One-way = every other route Limited/closed. Weak routes = Average holes on complementary axes.
No Elite/Great axis on this position's job board, so no weakness flag.
Stat profile
Within Striker peers — percentile shape (not role scores).
Versatility Index
Precise 0–100 score — cross-group breadth (67%) plus within-group depth (33%), quality-scaled by tier. Distinct from the shape card below.
Index
57.2
Breadth 33.5 · Depth 23.7
- ·Fullbacks: Playmaking FB (Great)
- ·Midfielders: Box Crasher (Elite), Creator (Elite), Deep-Lying Playmaker (Elite), Carrier (Good)
- ·Forwards: Shadow Striker (Great), Poacher (Great)
Versatility shape
Coarse directional pattern (Specialist / Dual-threat / Generalist) — not the 0–100 Index above.
Generalist
Elite GeneralistDistinct Great+
3 Great+ roles total
Where he plays
Positions with deployment evidence — not statistical guesses.
Natural
Validated secondary
Role translations
Where the profile could fit. Tap a position — then see which role style suits it.
Select a position on the pitch to see the best role, alternatives, and evidence.
Role-by-role detail
How each role is scored. Expand a row for a radar of role-shaped stats.
Similar players
Shape match across forward roles — cosine similarity of role scores (domestic leagues only). Slot 1 is the best same-league match; the rest are the next closest from the full pool.
Phil Foden
Manchester City · PL 24/25
Closest roles
PoacherΔ48
Shadow StrikerΔ68
Channel RunnerΔ10
Takumi Minamino
AS Monaco · Ligue 1 24/25
Closest roles
- Shadow StrikerΔ1
- PoacherΔ2
- Channel RunnerΔ5
Amine Gouiri
Olympique de Marseille · Ligue 1 24/25
Closest roles
- Shadow StrikerΔ5
- PoacherΔ18
- Channel RunnerΔ1