Former Chelsea defender Scott Minto has put Cole Palmer’s underwhelming 2025/26 campaign down to Nicolas Jackson’s absence.
Palmer struggled to impress for Chelsea last season, scoring just 11 goals in 34 games in all competitions.
That was a less productive season by his high standards, and it cost him a place in the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Even though he struggled with injury problems, Minto believes that Jackson’s loan move to Bayern Munich had a significant impact on Palmer’s form.
Jackson was shipped off to the Bundesliga after falling out with former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.
He ended up helping the Bavarians retain the Bundesliga crown by matching Palmer’s numbers for Chelsea, despite playing second fiddle to Harry Kane.
While Jackson has been criticised for missing chances, Minto believes his movement and ability to stretch opposition defences created opportunities that benefited Palmer.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Minto said: “In terms of Cole Palmer, I also think perhaps, and people made fun of him, but he’s missed Nicolas Jackson.
“Jackson misses a lot of chances, but he can cause absolute havoc and makes fantastic runs for Cole Palmer just to look up and play him in behind or slip him in.”
Palmer enjoyed a sensational debut campaign after joining Chelsea in 2023, bagging 27 goals and 15 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions.
His partnership with Jackson produced a combined 52 goal contributions in the Premier League during the same campaign, making them one of the league’s most influential duos.
Palmer has since struggled to reach similar heights in a Chelsea shirt, but he may have to find a way around it without Jackson, whose future at Stamford Bridge is far from secure.
The Senegalese forward is willing to stick around under new manager Xabi Alonso, but only if he receives guarantees that he will be considered the club’s first-choice striker.
