Cole Palmer stats, strengths and weaknesses on FIFA 23 - can Chelsea signing make debut vs Nottingham Forest?

It feels as if somebody has had somebody’s eyes out here. Either Chelsea have paid through the nose for a player who Manchester City genuinely aren’t that bothered about, or the treble winners have been taken to the mat by master negotiator Todd ‘The Hammer’ Boehly and are being forced to tap as he cinches in a chokehold of irresistible financial might. I have my suspicions as to which might be the case, but I don’t want to overtly state what they are in case I get accused of having an anti-Boehly agenda.

Either way, the simple fact of the matter is that Cole Palmer is now an employee of Chelsea Football Club. He has cost the Blues an initial £40 million, with a further £2.5 million in add-ons, and has signed a seven-year contract - but fear not, he does have the option to extend that deal for a further 12 months, thus conforming to Boehly’s recent eight-year standard.

For a while now, it has felt as if the 21-year-old has been on the cusp of properly establishing himself as a first team presence at the Etihad. Certainly, you could argue that he is the most exciting attacking prospect to have emerged from the City academy since Phil Foden. Goals in both the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup seemed to hint that this season, finally, might be the campaign during which Palmer made his long-awaited impact in Manchester.

Alas, it will not be, and instead, he has swapped the North West for west London. Indeed, Palmer could make his debut as soon as Saturday’s 3pm kick-off against Nottingham Forest, having signed, sealed, and delivered on his transfer before Friday’s noon registration deadline.

But what exactly will he bring to this Chelsea side? Well, where better to turn than FIFA 23 for the answers? (Don’t respond to that, I’m fully aware there are better places to turn.) Here’s what EA’s football simulation juggernaut makes of the Blues’ newest acquisition.

Cole Palmer FIFA 23 ratings

Let’s start with the big one; Palmer’s overall rating on FIFA 23 is a measly 66 - but it is worth pointing out that there are caveats to that figure. For one, you would imagine that his rating will rocket once EA Sports FC 24, this season’s successor to FIFA, launches, and for another, his overall potential is considerably higher. With the right in-game management, Palmer can reach as high as 80, which would put him just a touch behind Enzo Fernandez’s starting point of 81 in the current iteration of the franchise.

Interestingly, Palmer’s rating also hints at his versatility. When a player is deployed out of position in FIFA, their rating takes a hit accordingly. But whether the England youth international is featuring as a winger, an attacking midfielder, or a centre forward, that 66 overall remains nice and steady.

Delving a little deeper, it is clear to see where FIFA believes Palmer’s strengths lie. His highest individual stats are his agility (77), his sprint speed (77), his acceleration (74), and his dribbling (71). In-game, he is a tricky, nippy ball carrier, and those traits are reflected in real life. To further that point, his ball control is his next most impressive stat at 70.

In terms of end product, Palmer boasts 69 for his finishing and shot power, but things really start to take a tumble elsewhere. His distribution is surprisingly low, with short passing (64), vision (63), long passing (60), and crossing (59) all underwhelming somewhat, while his physical attributes leave a lot to be desired.

With stamina of 63 and strength of just 57, the attacker is hardly a brute force - although that’s not overly shocking given his age and the positions that he prefers playing in.

Then again, perhaps all of this is emblematic of Chelsea’s decision to buy him in the first place. They know they’re not getting the finished article, and they know that there are aspects of Palmer’s game that will require patience and development. It is, in other words, a gamble.

But there have already been flashes of brilliance to suggest that he could grow into a superlative talent. Maybe they have paid over the odds for him. Maybe there is a reason why City were willing to acquiesce to his exit. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll work out for Chelsea regardless.