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Joleon Lescott shares what he thinks would happen with Cole Palmer if Antonio Conte was Chelsea manager

Charles Jones

Sat 15 March 2025 16:45, UK

Antonio Conte is one of the greatest managers Chelsea have had in the modern era.

For all of his flaws, Antonio Conte led Chelsea to a Premier League title in the 2016/17 season, just on🎃e year on from a terrible campaign under Jose Mourinho.

Conte worked wonders with Chelsea, and with Enzo Maresca under pressure at the moment, it’s interesting to ponder what this current Chelsea side would loo✅k like under Conte.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s Podcast, Joleon Lescott has made an interesting claim about Cole Palmer if he worked under Conte.

Palmer is one of the Premier League’s best play꧋ers, but according to Lescott, the £40m man wouldn’t be start🌱ing for Chelsea if Antonio Conte was the manager still.

Indeed, Lescott reckons that Conte wouldn’t have liked Palmer for ho🐽w much of a maverick he is, claiming that the Italian would’ve preferred to have🍨 a player who was more tactically drilled.

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Cole Palmer wouldn’t start under Antonio Conte

Lescott spoke about the idea o🎶f Palmer working un🎶der Conte.

The pundit says that Conte wouldn’t be so keen on Palmer as he’d want a player that he could control and shape into ♑his tactical style.

“Every coach that comes in will take them and plays them like Cole w𓂃ill entertain everyone. But there might be a coach, I don’t know if Cole plays for Conte and Chelsea when they win the league.

“Just because I don’t think he’s as reliable, not even reliable, I just think he probab𝔉ly would want more control over the end product. ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚConte would want that.”

“I don’t want the maverick. I want to𒅌 know that if I’m saying you to do this, regardless of your individual brilliance, you’re just going to do that.”

Eden Hazard record under Antonio Conte

Lesc𒈔ott says that 🔜Palmer wouldn’t start under Conte due to how much of a maverick he is, but it’s hard to agree with that argument.

Indeed, as much as Conte is a tactician who will drill his team to the nth degree, there is🍃 room for mavericks 🎃in Conte’s system.

In fact, one of Chelsea’s best players during the Co💯n♌te era was Eden Hazard, and there’s an argument to make that he was an even more individualistic player than Palmer is.

Ha✃zard was 💞brilliant under Conte, as the stats show.

Another maverick playe🦩r who thrived under Antonio Conte’s management was Paul Pogba at Juventus.

Pogba🐻 was never a system player, often playing the game at his own pace, but his talent overrode the need to be so rigid as a foo🦹tballer.

If Conte was still at 🧸Chelsea, we’re sure he’d find a place for Palmer in his team.