Cole Palmer is in same bracket as Chelsea icon – but my celebration is better than his, says Blues hero David Luiz

DAVID LUIZ did not bat an eyelid erstwhile Enzo Maresca poured acold h2o connected Chelsea’s rubric hopes.

The Brazilian defender claimed nine fable and Mr Ego Jose Mourinho would beryllium saying precisely the aforesaid if helium were successful the Stamford Bridge dugout close now.

But Luiz claims if anyone is to ignite a rubric situation for the Blues adjacent season, it volition beryllium “world class” Cole ‘Cold’ Palmer.

Chelsea were 2nd successful the Premier League and conscionable 2 points shy of pace-setters Liverpool erstwhile the brag played the information paper successful mid-December.

Yet his broadside has foundered since,  winning lone ONE of their past 7 games and slipping to sixth.

Some thought the Italian’s appraisal smacked of a loser’s mentality and has contributed to their dip. 

But Luiz, who won some the Champions League and Premier League successful West London, told SunSport: “I don’t deliberation it was a deficiency of ambition.

“Enzo’s determination each azygous day. He knows much than everybody Chelsea’s level. We cannot beryllium present pointing astatine him and judging what helium has to say.

“He is conscionable trying to beryllium honorable but, wrong his head, there’s a batch of ambition and helium wants to triumph titles.

“It’s conscionable that it’s not the close moment. Of course, Mourinho ne'er said thing similar that but he’d accidental the aforesaid astatine the moment.

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“Maresca is doing a large job, the squad is starting to person a large doctrine to play shot again. 

“And if they proceed this way, soon Chelsea is going to travel backmost and commencement to combat for titles again — adjacent play they volition situation with Liverpool, City, Arsenal.

“Chelsea chose the close young players with a batch of endowment with large quality.”

Samba prima Luiz, 37, who present plays for Fortaleza successful his homeland, made nary enigma of however highly helium rates Palmer.

He compared him to Blues fable and erstwhile team-mate Eden Hazard and tipped the England prima to beryllium the driving unit down Chelsea’s instrumentality to glory.

Luiz, who besides played for Arsenal, said: “Cole, similar Eden, is connected different level, he’s a world-class player.

“He took a tough  determination to permission Man City and it was the close 1 for him.

“Everybody tin present spot the astonishing subordinate that helium is.  I’m enjoying seeing him play.

“He’s intelligent and intelligent players are hard to defend.

“He’d person played successful my 2012 and 2017 teams — for world-class players there’s ever a place.”

But Luiz joked that Palmer’s shoulder- rubbing ‘cold’ solemnisation is nary lucifer for his ain tongue-out celebration.

He said: “Mine was amended due to the fact that you didn’t spot it that much, portion he’s scoring each azygous week!

“In my time, Chelsea fans had to hold for up to 10 oregon 20 games . . . so I spell for mine!”

Luiz’s star-studded Chelsea teams utilized to weapon for glory each azygous play — but present the club’s main purpose is to decorativeness successful the apical 4 portion looking to get their hands connected the low-rent Conference League.

Luiz said: “It’s a antithetic period. Chelsea are successful modulation present portion successful my clip the nine was stabilised successful each section and everything was successful the close position, truthful it was casual to combat for the titles.

“Each clip a subordinate arrived helium was capable to bash everything successful the abbreviated play and was acceptable to assistance the team.

“Now it’s a wholly antithetic infinitesimal and it’s ne'er casual erstwhile you alteration everything and restart a club.

“There’s been a large alteration successful Chelsea. When you alteration Roman Abramovich for different president, the ambitions change. 

“But the caller owners are conscionable trying to enactment everything successful the close way, the nine is heading successful the close absorption and, for sure, Chelsea volition travel back.”

The ex-Paris Saint-Germain prima has credited chap South Americans Moises Caicedo, 23, and 24-year-old Enzo Fernandez for going from dead-men walking to yet surviving up to their multi-million terms tags.

He said: “I emotion a batch of players astatine Chelsea but successful peculiar Caicedo. He has immoderate astonishing qualities, he’s powerful.

“He didn’t commencement good but helium had the property to support going, support warring and present he’s started to amusement his class.

“Enzo is different apical player, a world-class one. But sometimes erstwhile corporate results are good, past everybody judges individual  performances successful a antithetic way.

“Enzo is fantastic and astatine Chelsea helium has galore examples to travel to proceed to improve.”

Luiz besides leapt to the defence of Robert Sanchez and Nicolas Jackson, with the calamity brace enraging the Stamford Bridge faithful each present and then.

He said: “In each nine astir the satellite ever supporters are not going to beryllium blessed with 2 oregon 3 players. This is normal.

“But I deliberation Jackson and Sanchez are astonishing players — and they volition beryllium that to Chelsea fans and springiness bully things soon.

“Fans merit astonishing players who play good and I anticipation they tin some repay their faith. 

“The infinitesimal that you motion for  Chelsea, you already person the imaginable to beryllium a large Premier League player.”