Enzo Maresca says that Chelsea's main aim is to offload players as the end of the transfer window draws closer.

The Blues have made 12 signings so far and are the highest spenders in the Premier League.

On Tuesday, they added goalkeeper Mike Penders to their ranks from Genk for a reported €20million on an eight-year contract.

Penders has made just two senior appearances for the Belgian side, both of which came last month, and the 19-year-old will spend the rest of the season on loan with the Belgian side.

Chelsea currently have over 40 players in their squad, with England internationals Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell among a group of 15 currently training away from the first team.

The club's desire to sell players has been well-documented to avoid falling foul of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, and Maresca says they are prioritising the outgoings this week.

"The target is to solve the economic problem in terms of selling players," Maresca told the club website. "From there, we try to do our best and see where we arrive.

"For us, the target in this moment is to improve players. No one from the club asked me to compete for the Premier League or compete for a Champions League spot.

"I want to see my team play the way we want to play and compete every game. I want to see on the ball a clear idea of what they want, and off the ball, a very aggressive team. The most important thing is to be better game after game."

Kepa Arrizabalaga is believed to be the next player out of the door at Chelsea, with a medical set at Bournemouth ahead of a potential season-long loan.

However, Chelsea are still being linked with players, with Jadon Sancho and Ivan Toney reportedly of interest to the London club.

We're into the swing of the new Premier League season, with matchday two bringing plenty more thrills and spills.

Big wins for Chelsea and Manchester City were accompanied by hat-tricks for Noni Madueke and Erling Haaland, while Everton's miserable start to 2024-25 continued as they were thrashed 4-0 at Tottenham.

But who were the lucky winners and the unlucky losers to emerge from this weekend's set of fixtures, according to the underlying metrics?

With the help of Opta data, let's find out.

Lucky winners: Chelsea

While Chelsea's thumping 6-2 win at Wolves was the most emphatic victory of a goal-laden matchday, perhaps fortune smiled on the Blues as they got off the mark under Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea's six goals came from an expected goals (xG) figure of just 1.68, with the Blues giving up chances worth 1.96 xG at the other end. 

Madueke was joined on the scoresheet by Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Joao Felix as Maresca became the first manager in Premier League history to see his team score six goals in his first away game at the helm.

Unlucky losers: Wolves

It might be a tad generous to suggest Wolves were unfortunate after shipping six goals on home soil, four of them coming in a miserable second half as they attempted to chase the game.

However, it is certainly fair to say the scoreline did not tell the full story of a game in which Gary O'Neil's men managed 12 shots to Chelsea's 14 and bettered the Blues' 21 touches in the area, registering 25.

Chelsea's xG overperformance of 4.31 is the largest of the season by some margin, with Brighton and Spurs both outdoing their underlying figures by 1.57 in their victories over Everton.

No team managed a bigger overperformance than that throughout the entirety of last season, either, with Newcastle's eight goals from 3.92 xG versus Sheffield United the closest any team got.

Lucky winners: Arsenal

Chelsea's win at Molineux was one of just two games in the Premier League on matchday two where the victors lost the xG battle.

But on a weekend where justice was largely done, Arsenal could perhaps count themselves fortunate to leave Aston Villa with a 2-0 victory.

The Gunners accumulated just 0.87 xG to Villa's 1.28, but goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey maintained their 100% start to the season.

This is the third time they have won their first two matches of a top-flight campaign without conceding a goal, having previously done so in 1924-25 and 1971-72.

Unlucky losers: Aston Villa

Villa were a lucky winner on matchday one as they escaped the London Stadium with a 2-1 victory over West Ham, but there was to be no repeat against Arsenal.

Unai Emery's team only hit the target with three of their 11 shots, and striker Ollie Watkins was particularly wasteful as he failed to net from two efforts worth 0.87 xG.

That is the second-highest figure registered by a player who failed to score in a Premier League match this season, after Nottingham Forest's Nikola Milenkovic versus Southampton on Saturday (0.98 xG).

Noni Madueke believes his link-up with Cole Palmer is perfectly balanced after he set him up for a hat-trick in their 6-2 thrashing of Wolves.

Enzo Maresca earned his first Premier League win thanks to Madueke's 14-minute hat-trick, after Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen had cancelled out Nicolas Jackson and Palmer's goals in the first half. New signing Joao Felix then rounded off a superb display for the Blues with 10 minutes remaining.

It is the fifth time that a player has assisted each goal for a team-mate's hat-trick in the Premier League, and Madueke was pleased with how well they complimented each other on Sunday.

"It is unbelievable. He is cold, and I am fire, so it mixes well," Madueke told PLP.

"He has the ability to always play a pass at the right time. I like to get the ball in space, beat people and make things happen, so luckily today it worked.

"The first [goal] was a bit lucky. Second one was all Cole Palmer; two brilliant passes, with the weight of pass I just had to step onto the ball and score.

"I'm made up for the hat-trick, but more made up we won the game."

Madueke was the subject of ire from the home fans after posting a now-deleted Instagram post with a less-than-complimentary opinion about the city of Wolverhampton.

"I just want to apologise to everyone that I might have offended," he added. "It is just a human mistake, an accident.

"It wasn't meant to be out on my socials like that. I'm sure Wolverhampton is a nice town, and I'm sorry."

Maresca is the first manager in Premier League history to see his team score six goals in his first away game in the competition. Despite being pleased by the emphatic nature of the win, Maresca admitted there were still improvements to be made.

"The performance was good. I think the first half was not a complete performance, we started well in the first 10 to 15 minutes, we scored a goal and had two or three more chances," he told Sky Sports.

"Then we lost a few easy balls. When you want to build from behind you cannot allow yourself to lose easy balls, otherwise you concede set pieces and counter-attacks. You need to be more accurate. Overall, the performance was good."

Meanwhile, Wolves sit at the bottom of the early standings having failed to win their first two games, stretching their losing run to five matches in the Premier League.

After a bright first-half performance that twice saw Wolves come from behind to level the score, Gary O'Neil was left frustrated with the easy nature of Chelsea's goals in the second half.

"We gave Chelsea a lot of help, so there is an awful lot I need to fix," O'Neil told BBC Sport.

"They were unacceptable [mistakes] from us. I am all for positivity and when the lads do well, they know they have done well, but from all of us as a group, to concede those three goals as we do is unacceptable."

Noni Madueke plundered a second-half hat-trick as Enzo Maresca claimed his first Premier League win as Chelsea boss in emphatic fashion, with the Blues dispatching Wolves 6-2.

It was all square at the break, with Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen cancelling out Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer's goals in a thrilling first half at Molineux.

Madueke put the game beyond Wolves' reach, though, netting a 14-minute hat-trick from a trio of Palmer assists before new signing Joao Felix added further gloss for the visitors.

Cunha and Mario Lemina had a goal each ruled out for the hosts, but Gary O'Neil's team were cut open at the back and ultimately soundly beaten.

Chelsea's victory takes them into the top half as one of seven teams on three points, while Wolves are 19th after two defeats.

Data Debrief: Blues find their groove

Maresca got his first Premier League win in style, and he is the first manager in the competition's history to see his team score six goals in his first away game.

Madueke, who helped to seal Maresca's first win on Thursday, has now scored more goals in Wolverhampton (three) than he has at Stamford Bridge (two in 18 games). 

It is also just the fifth time that a player has assisted a team-mate's hat-trick in the Premier League, with Palmer finishing the day with three assists and one goal.

As for Wolves, they accumulated a higher expected goals tally (1.92) than Chelsea (1.56), but could not prevent themselves from being on the wrong end of a thrashing.

Gary O’Neil has said Pedro Neto could have sealed an even bigger move away from Wolves, if not for his injury record. 

Neto left Wolves for Chelsea earlier in August, signing for the Blues in a £45million move. 

The Portugal international is set for a swift reunion with his former club, though, with Wolves welcoming Chelsea to Molineux on Sunday. 

Ahead of that contest, Wolves boss O’Neil believes Neto could have moved on for an even larger fee – and to an even bigger side – had he stayed fit over the course of recent seasons, with the winger having missed close to four months due to injuries last term. 

"The important thing for him now is being able to play week in, week out," O’Neil said of Neto. 

"I always felt he was unfortunate with injuries, he never struck me as injury prone. That will be a question mark around him at the moment. 

"It's not one I'd be concerned about, which is why I was desperate to keep him and play him every week, but you can understand that may have had an impact in the summer. 

"But he can definitely play at any club in world football. His talent, work ethic and physical attributes allow him to play at whatever level he wants." 

O’Neil also stressed Chelsea have signed, in his view, an outstanding talent. 

"He is one of the best out-and-out wide players in world football. What he can do one-v-one, his explosive pace, what he can do when he arrives there, it allows him to do things not many players can do," he added.  

"It was an emotional goodbye He loved it here, his time before I was here and how well it went for him last season on the pitch." 

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Wolves – Hwang Hee-chan 

With Neto gone, there is even more onus on Hwang Hee-chan, who was one of Wolves’ most impressive players last season. He created one chance in the defeat at Arsenal last week, though failed to get a shot off, so O’Neil will want to see a greater attacking impact this time out. 

Chelsea – Pedro Neto 

Going up against his old team means Neto will be eager to impress in what could be his full debut, having come on from the bench against Manchester City last time out. The 24-year-old has been in the headlines this week too, after he took the number seven shirt previously occupied by Raheem Sterling, who is now out in the cold at Chelsea. 

MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN 

Despite losing to Man City in their opener, Enzo Maresca’s team are predicted to get the job done at Molineux by Opta’s supercomputer. 

The Blues have not lost their opening two league games in a season since 1973-74, while the last Chelsea manager to lose his first two matches in charge was Gianluca Vialli in February 1998. 

Wolves have lost their last four Premier League matches. They have not lost more consecutively since a six-game run between May and August 2021 (three games under Nuno Espirito Santo, three under Bruno Lage), while the last Wolves manager to lose five in a row was Terry Connor between March and April 2012 (seven). 

They have lost six of their nine Premier League home games so far in 2024 (W3), with no side losing more. They had only lost four of their 20 league games at Molineux in the whole of 2023. 

That being said, Chelsea are winless in four away league games against Wolves (D1 L3), since a 5-2 victory in September 2019 under Frank Lampard.  

Chelsea have also conceded at least once in each of their last 16 Premier League away games, their longest run without a clean sheet on the road since a run of 24 between January 1993 and February 1994. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

Wolves – 24.1% 

Chelsea – 51.4% 

Draw – 24.5% 

Pep Guardiola was delighted to see Ilkay Gundogan seal a "complete surprise" return to Manchester City but does not envisage a similar swoop for Raheem Sterling.

Gundogan returned to the Etihad Stadium on a one-year deal on Friday, just over 12 months after leaving the club to pursue a new challenge with Barcelona.

The midfielder won 14 trophies during a hugely successful initial stint at City between 2016 and 2023, making 188 Premier League appearances for the club.

Only 10 City players, meanwhile, have bettered his total of 44 Premier League goals for the club, while he also has 16 assists to his name in the competition.

Gundogan became available due to Barcelona needing to raise funds to complete the registration of new midfielder Dani Olmo, and while Guardiola was surprised to see the move go through, he is overjoyed to have his former captain back.

"When managers say, 'this is the transfer window, anything can happen', this is the real proof," Guardiola said as he previewed Saturday's meeting with Ipswich Town.

"It was a complete surprise, unexpected. We know him quite well, me personally but also the staff and players, and we know the quality he played with last season at Barcelona. 

"He played at a high, high level, playing a lot of minutes and producing a lot. We didn't have any doubts when the possibility was open. We're absolutely delighted he's back.

"He knows everything so he doesn't need time to settle. If he has to play tomorrow then he knows everything. He is always in the right position and everyone is so thrilled he is back."

Gundogan's return has led to suggestions a similar move could be on the cards for Sterling, who is out of favour at Chelsea just two years after leaving the Etihad.

Sterling, who is second in City's all-time Premier League scoring charts with 91 goals, has been exiled from first-team training by new Blues boss Enzo Maresca and was stripped of the number seven shirt earlier this week.

Guardiola, though, would not indicate City are interested in the winger, saying: "He is a Chelsea player. I feel so attached with him because of the time we had together and I feel like that with all my players. 

"But he is a Chelsea player. If you had asked me about Gundogan previously, I would have said he was a Barcelona player. I wish him all the best."

Asked whether City would make any further moves before the transfer window closes, Guardiola said: "I don't think so but I don't know. 

"The market might provide us something that is financially good for us but at the moment I do not know."

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca wants Noni Madueke to stay beyond the summer transfer window, but conceded "anything can happen".

The Blues are looking to offload the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku and Trevor Chalobah before the window closes on August 30.

But Madueke, who scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Servette in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off, is someone Maresca wants to develop and improve.

Though the Italian wants to see a more consistent level from the former PSV winger, who scored five Premier League goals in 23 appearances last term and outperformed his expected goals (xG) by 2.5.

He said: "I really like Noni. The only problem is that he has to understand that he has to be consistent during the week in training.

"He's a good player and he’s doing well with us."

Maresca believes the 22-year-old will be an important member of the squad for the season, especially with the club involved in four competitions.

Though the former Leicester City boss knows much can change in the final days of a transfer window.

He said: "Yeah absolutely. But the reality is until the window closes, anything can happen.

"But for sure Noni is the kind of player that I like. We have so many games. If it's to today it will be the next one. He's doing well since he started with us.

"The only thing he has to improve is consistency, every day, every day work hard. Then he will get minutes for sure."

Enzo Maresca was pleased with Chelsea's win in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg but says they "played with fire" in the closing stages.

Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke both netted in the second half of their 2-0 victory, earning Maresca his first win in charge of the Blues.

However, it was almost a different story as Chelsea came under late pressure, with Jeremy Guillermenot squandering two chances in stoppage time to half the deficit for the Swiss side.

Despite seeing improvements from their Premier League defeat against Manchester City, Maresca says there is still a lot of work to do if they want to find some consistency.

"I was a bit worried because in the last 10 minutes, we played a little bit with fire because we could manage the game completely differently," he said after the game. "It was good that we didn't concede, but we can learn.

"We are learning how to manage the game. Keeping the ball is the correct intention at 2-0 up but where is not good, in our half.

"We need to do the same on the opposite side. It was important to win the game with nine changes. There were many good things."

With as big a squad as Chelsea's, this game was the perfect chance for Maresca to give more players minutes.

Mykhailo Mudryk's performance caused some frustration with the Italian as he struggled to make an impact, especially in a hesitant first half, but Maresca is keen to help him find his consistency.

"This is the mission, this is Mudryk, not only tonight but since he joined the club," he added.

"I think he had good moments but when he has the ball you don't know if you'll get one thing or another. It is consistency.

"We are going to try and help him to change. When he is in the final third, it is making the right decision. Most of his mistakes are about the choice."

There was also some cause for concern among Chelsea fans as Cole Palmer was seen holding his hamstring as he left the pitch, but Maresca brushed off any worries, claiming it is only a minor problem.

"Cole felt something but he looks fine. Hopefully, it is no problem, and he can be available for Sunday's game [at Wolves]," he said.

Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke's second-half goals gave Chelsea a 2-0 advantage over Servette in their Europa Conference League play-off tie.

The Blues put the disappointment of their Premier League defeat to Manchester City behind them, taking control of qualifying in the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea made a slow start to the game, with Gael Ondoua causing an early scare for Filip Jorgensen from a tight angle, though the goalkeeper was equal to it.

The Blues then stepped up the pace after the break – Nkunku darted in behind Servette's defence before being taken out by Jeremy Frick, and he made no mistake with the resulting penalty, emphatically firing it into the back of the net.

Marc Guiu should have doubled their lead moments later, picking Frick's pocket outside the box, but the goalkeeper recovered brilliantly to race back and smother both attempts by the Spaniard, who should have done better.

Madueke then made sure of the win with 14 minutes left on the clock, latching onto Enzo Fernandez's throughball before rifling his shot over Frick and into the roof of the net. 

Jeremy Guillermenot should have halved the deficit in stoppage time but lifted his volley over the bar from point-blank range before Jorgensen denied him again with the last touch of the game.

Data Debrief: Blues up and running

Chelsea look like they are starting to gel in the final third, after struggling to do so in their opening league game.

They had seven shots on target out of 14, both more than they managed last Sunday, generating 1.87 expected goals, and had 56 final third entries.

There is still work to do at the back though, as they gave up 22 shots from the Swiss side, but Enzo Maresca will still take confidence from their clean sheet. 

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has insisted his Chelsea team-mates will not be distracted by the constant transfer speculation surrounding the club. 

Dewsbury-Hall, who arrived from Leicester City in a reported £30m deal, is one of 10 new arrivals during the transfer window at Stamford Bridge. 

The midfielder starred for Enzo Maresca in the Foxes' Championship success, notching 26 goal involvements (12 goals and 14 assists) in the league last year. 

But with the Blues' overhaul of players, Dewsbury-Hall found himself on the bench for their opening Premier League fixture against Manchester City last Sunday. 

Maresca is continuing to trim his bloated squad, with the Italian confirming that both Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are among a group of more than 15 players who are not training with the first-team. 

Despite the troubles off the pitch, Dewsbury-Hall was keen to focus on the variables within his control ahead of their Europa Conference League play-off tie against Servette on Thursday. 

"No, we're in a bubble with it. You can't let that sort of thing affect you," Dewsbury-Hall said. 

"The only thing we're doing is just going out every day and training as well as we can, getting ready for the matches.

"Everything that happens outside, it's not up to us.

"Probably when the transfer window finishes, then it can just be pure focus on the season. Of course, when it's open, you get speculations."

Maresca's arrival from Leicester continued the carousel of managers at Stamford Bridge during Todd Boehly's time in charge at the club. 

But the Italian's no-nonsense approach when communicating with players is something that has turned heads. 

However, Dewsbury-Hall revealed that the Chelsea squad respects the decisions taken by their new head coach. 

"I think people respect him for (his honesty)," Dewsbury-Hall added."As a player you want to have clarity in terms of what's happening and he (Maresca) is certainly a person that gives you that. I don't think you can have any complaints on that side.

"I think it would cause more upset in any aspect of life if you're not honest with people. The fact that he is, is a good thing."

Raheem Sterling has been stripped of the number seven shirt by Chelsea as his exile from Enzo Maresca's first-team squad continues.

Sterling was left out of Chelsea's matchday squad for Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, with his representatives issuing a statement demanding "clarity" on his future ahead of kick-off.

On Wednesday, Maresca confirmed Sterling was – alongside 14 other players – training away from Chelsea's first-team squad, saying it would be "better" if the winger leaves.

It was then announced by the club that new signing Pedro Neto – who wore the number 19 shirt on his debut versus City – had been given Sterling's old number, with fellow new arrival Joao Felix taking the number 14 shirt after joining from Atletico Madrid.

Trevoh Chalobah previously wore number 14, and the defender is also expected to leave Stamford Bridge before the end of the transfer window.

Sterling joined Chelsea following a hugely successful seven-year stint at Manchester City in 2022, and has made 59 Premier League appearances for the Blues, scoring 14 goals and adding seven assists.

The 29-year-old ranked third among all Chelsea players for dribbles completed (45) in the competition last term, and seventh for chances created, with 30.

Juventus, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa have all been linked with a move for Sterling, though his reported £250,000 weekly wage could prove an obstacle to a transfer. 

Sterling has also been left out of Chelsea's squad for Thursday's Europa Conference League play-off clash with Servette, as the Blues look to establish a healthy lead to take to Switzerland for the second leg next week.

Enzo Maresca has confirmed both Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are not training with the Chelsea first-team amid reports linking them with a move away. 

Sterling and Chilwell, who have 187 Blues appearances between them, were not in the Chelsea squad for their opening day defeat to Manchester City on Sunday. 

The pair are among a group of 15 players that are training away from the first team as the club seeks to resolve their futures before the transfer window shuts. 

Maresca's side face Swiss side Servette on Thursday in a Europa Conference League play-off tie, and revealed the situation to reporters on Wednesday. 

"In this moment, they are training apart," Maresca told reporters ahead of Thursday's Europa Conference League play-off tie against Swiss side Servette.

"We have a big squad, for me it's impossible to give everyone minutes. So if they're looking for minutes, probably it is better to leave."

Prior to their 2-0 defeat to the Premier League champions, Maresca had informed Sterling he would not be part of his squad to face his former employers. 

Ahead of kick-off at Stamford Bridge, the 29-year-old's representatives released a statement asking for clarity on his future at the club. 

Despite Sterling's 45 completed dribbles only bettered by Cole Palmer (52) and Nicolas Jackson (54) in the Premier League, Maresca said he was not the kind of winger that he wanted for the upcoming season. 

"I'm not saying he's not a good player, but I prefer different kinds of wingers," the Italian said. 

"I spoke with Raheem before Manchester City, I said that he is going to struggle to get minutes with us.

"With (Chilwell), I said he is a lovely guy but with his position, he's going to struggle with us. It's not brutal, it's honest."

"It's not a comfortable situation. I think it is good to know that if you want to stay, you will struggle to get minutes. 

"But in a few days or weeks it can be a better situation because you move and you join a club where you will get more minutes."

Chelsea have announced the signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal.

The winger, who played for Chelsea on loan for the second half of the 2022-23 season, has signed a six-year contract, with the option for a further year, for a fee in the region of £45million.

In his six-month spell with Chelsea in 2023, Joao Felix played 16 Premier League games, scoring four goals, finishing the season as the club's third-highest scorer in the competition.

The 24-year-old joined Atletico in 2019 from Benfica, scoring 34 goals in 131 matches in all competitions, but spent last season on loan at Barcelona.

He netted seven times for the Blaugrana in LaLiga, slightly underperforming his expected goals of 8.76, and provided three assists in the competition.

"I'm really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can't wait to get started," Joao Felix told Chelsea's website. "I can see some familiar faces from the last time I was here, which is always nice.

"I loved my time here before, and I told my friends and family that I'd love to return to the Premier League one day. To do that with Chelsea is a great feeling, and I'm excited to be back."

Chelsea opened talks with Atletico over Joao Felix following the collapse of their deal to sign Samu Omorodion. This opened the door for Conor Gallagher to go the other way, with that move also confirmed on Wednesday.

Joao Felix is the 10th signing for Chelsea in this transfer window, after Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, Filip Jorgensen, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino and Pedro Neto. 

Conor Gallagher has completed a permanent transfer to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea, ending his 16-year association with the club. 

Gallagher, who made 95 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, has signed a five-year deal with the LaLiga side for a reported £36m transfer fee. 

The 24-year-old becomes only the second Englishman to play for the Spanish side after Kieran Trippier did so between 2019 and 2022, winning the league three years ago.

He captained Chelsea to European football last season, enjoying his most prolific campaign as he scored seven goals while adding nine assists in all competitions. 

The midfielder adds another solid option for Diego Simeone, after winning the most tackles (52) of anyone in the Chelsea squad last year.

He also completed more interceptions (43) and creating more chances (53) than midfield partners Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. 

Gallagher's move to the Wanda Metropolitano looked to have fallen through following the collapse of Chelsea's move for striker Samu Omorodion. 

However, the deal was revived after Enzo Maresca's side agreed to sign Joao Felix from the Spanish club. 

The England international becomes Simeone's fourth major signing of the transfer window following the arrivals of Julian Alvarez, Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth. 

Cole Palmer scooped the PFA's Young Player of the Year on Tuesday but emphasised that helping Chelsea win trophies is more important than individual accolades. 

Palmer, who scored 22 goals in 34 Premier League appearances in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, beat off competition from Bukayo Saka and Kobbie Mainoo to claim the award. 

The 22-year-old is the third Chelsea player to win the award after Scott Parker and Eden Hazard, signing a contract extension last month that will keep him at the club until 2023.

Palmer recorded the most goal contributions in the league last season (33), while also converting all nine of his penalties for the Blues. 

And despite missing out on the PFA Player of the Year crown to former team-mate Phil Foden, Palmer was happy to be acknowledged by his fellow professionals. 

"It is really special [to win the award] and I just want to say thank you to all of the players for recognising me," Palmer said.

"I have never really done anything like that before but it is a special award and it was a reminder to keep going no matter what. It was something I wanted to win."

Palmer was involved in Gareth Southgate's England team that reached the final of Euro 2024 last month, scoring the equaliser against Spain in the showpiece match. 

He returned to Cobham later than many of his Chelsea team-mates and played 45 minutes in their final pre-season encounter against Inter before being thrust into the starting line-up in their 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on the opening day of the new season. 

Palmer said he set the Players' Player of the Year trophy as his telephone wallpaper last season as motivation but emphasised that his focus is on team success.

"The (last) whole season was a great season for me personally and hopefully, we can kick on this season," Palmer told Sky Sports.

"I want to win trophies with Chelsea, that is the main thing, and then the individual awards are nice. It's on me to produce for Chelsea and that's what I plan to do.

"[The picture] was on my phone as a reminder every day of something to work towards so to win this award is nice."