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Cole Palmer is a game changer similar to Eden Hazard for Chelsea and like Gareth Bale was at Tottenham
Cole Palmer's latest heroics for Chelsea have seen him compared to Premier League icons Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard.
The 21-year-old fired in a hat-trick in Thursday night's 4-3 win over Manchester United where he scored twice in stoppage time to inspire a stunning comeback.
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And for talkSPORT's Jamie O'Hara and Jermaine Pennant, Palmer's influence for Chelsea this season has been on par with two of the Premier League's finest players in recent years.
Speaking on The Sports Bar following the seven-goal thriller, O'Hara claimed that the England international's strikes have kept under-pressure manager Mauricio Pochettino in a job.
The ex-Tottenham midfielder stated: "He's saved his job, Palmer!"
He went on to say: "It reminds me, watching him tonight, Pochettino with Cole Palmer at the end, and the way Cole Palmer goes over to him, gives him a hug.
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"It almost reminds me of when Gareth Bale was at Tottenham and Gareth Bale basically single-handedly carried that team.
“It reminds me of that a little bit, that’s where I think this Cole Palmer can get to, that's the level he's at.”
Pennant agreed, before likening Palmer, who now boasts more goal involvements than Jude Bellingham this season, to a Chelsea great.
He remarked: “He’s your Eden Hazard. He’s an Eden Hazard of the past.”
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The pair's comparison of Palmer to the Champions League-winning duo is certainly high-praise, but his statistics suggest a similar importance to his side as the former stars' during their time in England.
Palmer's treble took his goals tally to 16 for this Premier League season, the joint second-highest in the league, while he also boasts the third-most assists, with eight to his name.
With eight league games remaining, Palmer is on course to challenge Bale's 21-goal campaign with Spurs from the 2012/13 term, which saw the Welshman scoop the Premier League Player of the Season award.
And the England international has already matched Hazard's best top-flight goal haul of 16, which he recorded in both the 2016/17 and 2018/19 campaigns.
But Palmer's season is arguably all the more impressive considering his eye-catching performances have come in a mid-table Chelsea team, with their win over United lifting them into tenth place.
The Londoners sit two points behind West Ham in seventh, having played two games less, and O'Hara was quick to point out that they remain in contention for European football thanks to their main man.
He said: "Chelsea are still in the mix for European football. They've got games in hand, they're back up on page one, they move up to tenth, they ain't far behind West Ham.
Referring to the United result, he added: “So it's still all to play for, for Chelsea, and that right there could just turn their season around, and Cole Palmer is at the forefront of it.
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"Unbelievable, what a player! And he really does remind me of what Pochettino had in Gareth Bale."
Chelsea fans will be hoping for more inspiration from Palmer in their upcoming clash with bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United on Sunday.