‘Big slap in the face’ - Cole Palmer told how to become a ‘great player’ as Chelsea legend sees hype fade & dip in numbers deliver World Cup snub

They are eager to see Palmer rediscover his spark under new boss Xabi Alonso. Quizzed on whether that will happen, or if the 14-cap forward was over-hyped too soon, ex-Blues defender Leboeuf - speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of Betinia NJ - said: “I’ve talked about the dictator of emergency when you have a young guy that Pep Guardiola didn't want to keep, goes to Chelsea and created a big surprise to everybody, at the point that I think Pep Guardiola regretted that move.

“And coming from nowhere, that was crazy. But you become a great football player when you show consistency. And it's not only one season, it's two, three, four, five. [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi, it's 17 seasons, something like that. We are still waiting for [Kylian] Mbappe at the end of his career to make sure we can name him as a legend.

“That's insane. But that's what it is. That's football. As I always say, the first time selected with a national team, ‘oh wow, I'm an international player’. In France, you need 10 caps to be named international. It's because you need to show your consistency at that level.

“And Cole Palmer, because of also the coaches that he had, the tactics that they made, putting him on the right side where it wasn’t his position, and some injuries that he had, wasn’t capable of keeping on working hard and showing his talent.

“You cannot deny it, every time he touches the ball, something happens, or something can happen. Now, I would say he has to go back to work with humility because I think it was a big slap in the face that he wasn't selected for the World Cup. So that should make him react.”

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