England midfielder Cole Palmer has credited his success with the club to his 
former Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to give him freedom at Stamford Bridge.

In an interview with the club’s website, Palmer noted that without Pochettino’s trust in him, he wouldn’t have been where he is at the moment.

“Yeah, I was because he put his trust in me and we built a good relationship. Not just with him but with all his staff who were there. When he left I was gutted.

“He just gave me the opportunity and the freedom and said ‘do what you do’.

“I spoke to some of the people who had worked with him, even players, and they said he loves working with young players so I thought that was perfect.

“He’s probably the main reason (I’m here) because a different manager might not have given me that freedom and opportunity to do what I did at Chelsea.

“(The season) went a lot better than I expected.

“Obviously I believed what I could do anyway, but I didn’t think I would go there and have that sort of impact that.”