According to Sky Sports, West Ham's veteran striker, Michail Antonio, aged 34, has commended an upcoming opponent ahead of tomorrow’s game, praising Chelsea's standout performer, Cole Palmer, for his sensational debut season at Stamford Bridge.
In all fairness, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been nothing short of exceptional this campaign, boasting an impressive tally of 23 goals and 13 assists in 41 appearances for the Blues across various competitions.
Reflecting on Chelsea's performances this season, Antonio expressed his admiration for Palmer's contributions, stating to Sky Sports, “Cole Palmer. Obviously he’s been quality this season. Got 20 [league] goals. The crazy thing is we tried to sign him ourselves and Chelsea stole him from us. He is a quality player and he’s doing well… Hopefully this weekend we can keep him quiet.”
While Chelsea ultimately secured Palmer's signature from Manchester City last summer, it's worth noting that the talented midfielder was nearly recruited by West Ham. Karren Brady, the current vice-chairman of West Ham, previously disclosed that David Moyes' side had reached an agreement to bring Palmer to the London Stadium before Chelsea intervened. Brady conveyed via The Sun, “Cole Palmer is as cool a dude in front of goal as Jimmy Greaves himself. Which is probably why David Moyes tried very hard to sign him. We even had a deal agreed with City until Chelsea swooped.”
Looking ahead to the weekend clash, Antonio has cautioned his West Ham teammates to be vigilant of Palmer's threat on the field as they face Chelsea. The London rivals are set to square off on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.
With four matches remaining in the season, Chelsea remains in contention for a European finish, following a recent victory over Tottenham that propelled them to eighth place in the league standings. Meanwhile, West Ham finds themselves in ninth place, trailing Chelsea by two points and enduring a struggle for results, with only one win in their last nine outings across all competitions.