The Englishman and Senegal international flourished in their debut campaigns in West London.
Chelsea have revealed a set of statistics in the concluded season that saw Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson thrive.
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Cole Palmer stats
Palmer arrived to little fanfare from Manchester City last summer after the Blues missed out on Mohammed Kudus and Michael Olise.
The young Englishman thrived in year one at Stamford Bridge, scoring 22 times and setting up 11 to outdo every Premier League player’s goal contributions.
Nicolas Jackson stats
As for Jackson, the much-maligned forward notched 14 Premier League goals in his maiden year in England, having arrived from Villarreal in time for a first preseason under Mauricio Pochettino.
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Despite initially struggling with being thrown in the deep end after Christopher Nkunku's extended absence, the Senegal international’s performances improved in the campaign’s closing weeks.
Palmer and Jackson’s 2023-24 feats
In a recent statistical review of their campaign, Palmer and Jackson excelled in several metrics or emulated existing records.
- Cole Palmer netted nine game-opening goals to match Gianfranco Zola (1998-99), Didier Drogba (2006-07), and Eden Hazard (2014-15).
- Palmer became the third Chelsea player to score above 20 goals and assist more than 10 in a Premier League campaign (22 goals, 11 assists) after Frank Lampard (22 goals, 14 assists) and Didier Drogba (29 goals, 10 assists), with the legends achieving their feats in the 2009-10 double-winning campaign.
- The summer arrival from Man City was voted Premier League Player of the Month for May, thus becoming the first Chelsea player since Hazard (September 2018) to claim the monthly award.
- Palmer was also voted PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, matching Hazard’s 2019 achievement.
- The 22-year-old’s seven match-winning goals in the league was the best of any player since Diego Costa’s 10 in the 2016-17 season. Drogba netted nine game-clinching strikes in 2009-10.
- Every Premier League goal scored by Nicolas Jackson in his debut season came from inside the box. None of the Senegal forward’s 14 goals were penalties.
- Four of Jackson’s 14 goals came against Tottenham Hotspur — a hat-trick in North London and one in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge. Only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (five in 2001-02) has ever netted more past Tottenham Hotspur in a single Premier League season.
- Jackson and Palmer hitting double figures for goals in their debut seasons means they become the first duo to score that many since the 2000-01 season when Hasselbaink (23) and Eidur Gudjohnsen (10) netted double figures in year one in West London.
What comes next for Palmer and Jackson?
Palmer should play in some capacity at England’s Euro 2024 campaign, while Jackson could be involved for the Lions of Teranga in World Cup qualifying games against DR Congo DR and Mauritania.
Both should be back in Chelsea preseason under Enzo Maresca, expected to be in situ at Stamford Bridge before they go on tour in the United States.