{"id":15156,"date":"2026-07-07T21:05:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=15156"},"modified":"2026-07-07T21:05:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:05:13","slug":"florent-maloudas-take-on-alejandro-garnacho-and-cole-palmer-now-sounds-even-more-absurd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=15156","title":{"rendered":"Florent Malouda’s take on Alejandro Garnacho and Cole Palmer now sounds even more absurd"},"content":{"rendered":"


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There is no beating around the bush here, Alejandro Garnacho\u2019s first season at Chelsea was disastrous.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In fact, it was so disastrous that it may actually end up being both his first and last at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n

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It is in stark contrast to Cole Palmer\u2019s debut campaign, when the attacking midfielder recorded an astonishing 40 goal contributions in 45 games.<\/p>\n

Chelsea could now sell Garnacho, a scenario that former Blue Florent Malouda would not have seen coming 12 months ago.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Henry NICHOLLS \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former Chelsea star Florent Malouda gets Alejandro Garnacho and Cole Palmer comparison completely wrong<\/h2>\n

Shortly after Garnacho signed for Chelsea from Manchester United, Malouda tipped the winger to follow in Palmer\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n

As Malouda discussed Garnacho\u2019s move to Chelsea, the retired France international said: \u201cAlejandro Garnacho has talent and could follow the Cole Palmer trajectory, he even has a similar price tag. It\u2019s about delivering, unlike Jadon Sancho who wasn\u2019t able to show his talent and make a difference. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you expect from a player like Garnacho is how he\u2019s able to be consistent in performance and have an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there is no denying that Garnacho has talent, it did not shine through last season. In 43 appearances, he scored eight goals.<\/p>\n

The majority of his strikes came in cup competitions, with the 22-year-old only managing to net once in 24 Premier League outings. <\/p>\n

Palmer in his debut campaign at Chelsea was able to score 22 goals in the English top flight.<\/p>\n

Garnacho has enough talent and years left in his career to turn things around. But it is fair to say that Malouda got this one wrong.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Harold Cunningham \u2013 UEFA\/UEFA via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alejandro Garnacho\u2019s and Cole Palmer\u2019s 2025\/26 stats compared<\/h2>\n

By his high standards, the 2025\/26 season was a disappointing one for Palmer. However, he still managed to reach double figures for goals, scoring 11 times in 34 appearances.<\/p>\n

That was higher than Garnacho\u2019s tally, but the Argentina international was able to register more assists. He provided four, while Palmer registered three. Only one came in the Premier League.<\/p>\n

According to WhoScored, Garnacho also completed more key passes per game, 1.2 to Palmer\u2019s 0.8. Neither player reached an average of 1.0 for dribbles.<\/p>\n

All in all, for Garnacho, Palmer and Chelsea as a whole, the 2025\/26 campaign was truly a forgettable one.<\/p>\n

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