Thomas Tuchel backed to do Chelsea another favour with 'new Arjen Robben'

head coach can take one star to new heights, according to former Blues midfielder Claude Makelele. Tuchel has already helped Chelsea to a triumph in 2021, followed by UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup wins.

He was , after the club were acquired by American consortium BlueCo. His exit was sour after reported falling outs with and co, with Tuchel writing an open letter explaining that he had not planned to leave Chelsea "for many years." But after just over a year in his homeland with , Tuchel returned to England to coach the national team. He signed a short-term contract ahead of next year's , where is expected to play a key role.

And Makele believes that Palmer, who he likened to legendary winger Arjen Robben, should be expecting more of himself in terms of goal involvement, something that Tuchel can work on with him during their time together for England.

"Cole [Palmer] can do better for me," Makele told BetMGM. "If he learns to assist more and help his team-mates, he will go to the next level. In an attacking sense, you need to be selfish and put the ball away when it matters, but he's a bit too selfish in other areas at the moment.

"I think he'll learn this with the national team and Thomas Tuchel. Once he learns how to bring the other players into the game more and assist them, he will be one of the best players around.

"He needs to be a leader for the team. If he can lead by example, he'll be amazing for Chelsea. He reminds me of Arjen Robben in that he can change the game in a moment. He has this quality and just needs to channel it a bit better."

Palmer missed Tuchel's first England squad due to injury, with the German claiming it made "no sense" to call up Chelsea's star man because of a muscular issue.

But he is expected to be recalled for June's qualifier against Andorra and a friendly with Senegal, having in the 3-1 victory over .

He ended a 19-match goal drought from the penalty spot and dragged his side to a crucial three points over the champions with a statement return to form.

Palmer has 15 goals and eight assists in 33 league matches this season, having hit the back of the net 22 times and set up his team-mates on 11 occasions in his first Stamford Bridge season, but Makelele is demanding more from the talisman.