Cole Palmer seeking to become first Chelsea player to win successive Player of the Month award

Cole Palmer has been nominated for October’s Player of the Month award after winning the honour in September and the midfielder is looking to make history as the first Chelsea player to win the award twice in a row and the second after Frank Lampard to win it three times.

The 22-year-old has become the sole of this young Chelsea team and was superb again in October. He got an assist in a draw with Nottingham Forest before starring in a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United, scoring the winner and producing one of the best passes in Premier League history in the lead up to Nicolas Jackson’s opening goal.

According to the Premier League website, only three players can better Palmer’s eight chances created in October.

The former Manchester City player will be challenged for the award by seven others including Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka whose combined goals and assists in October were the most by any player who was directly involved in four goals in just two appearances.

The 23-year-old scored and set up two goals in a 3-1 win over Southampton, taking his assists tally for the season to seven, two more than any other player. He then missed the 2-0 defeat at AFC Bournemouth as Arsenal fell to their first loss of the season, before returning and scoring his 50th Premier League goal in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Saka is gunning for his second Player of the Month award after he was voted the winner in March 2023.

The six others will be gunning for their first win and are led by Brighton’s Danny Welbeck who scored thrice in three games in October, Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest who top scored in October with four goals, Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo who netted three times, Forest’s goalie, Matz Sels who finished October with 14 saves, Facundo Buonanotte of Leicester City who scored twice in the two games the Foxes won and Man City’s Josko Gvardiol.