Liam Rosenior’s circle accept they misjudged Cole Palmer at Chelsea

Liam Rosenior and his back-room staff have privately conceded that their early reservations about Cole Palmer and the rest of Chelsea’s star-studded squad have proved wide of the mark, sources close to the 41-year-old manager have told the Standard.

When the former Hull City boss succeeded Enzo Maresca in the Stamford Bridge dug-out, scepticism was rife among supporters who viewed the appointment as underwhelming. Four months on, Rosenior has transformed the narrative: eight wins, two draws and only two defeats – both against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup – have lifted Chelsea into contention and, more importantly, united a dressing room that many feared could fracture under a relatively inexperienced coach.

Central to the turnaround has been Rosenior’s handling of marquee names such as Palmer. Social-media clips of light-hearted touchline exchanges have been matched by diligent one-on-one conversations behind closed doors, a formula that has coaxed consistent performances from the England forward and dispelled suggestions that ego might derail the new regime.

“There were genuine concerns in the first fortnight that the big personalities might not buy in,” a source inside Rosenior’s camp admitted. “The idea of Cole, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo as potentially disruptive figures was discussed. Results have shown that perception was completely wrong.”

Palmer’s hat-trick at Molineux last month provided the defining snapshot of the new harmony: the No. 10 hijacked his manager’s post-match television interview, draping an arm around Rosenior and grinning down the camera lens. What could have been dismissed as a prank was interpreted inside the club as a public declaration of unity.

Rosenior has deliberately deflected praise towards his players, refusing to foreground his own tactical tweaks. The approach has resonated with Fernandez, who appeared bound for Paris Saint-Germain last summer but has since credited the head coach with “re-energising” his career. The Argentine midfielder’s recent public thanks underlined a dressing-room consensus that the manager’s man-management, rather than any revolutionary system, has been the catalyst for improvement.

Each victory, Rosenior believes, further cements his authority, eroding the scepticism that greeted his arrival. With Chelsea still competing on multiple fronts, the admission that early doubts about Palmer and company were misplaced offers the clearest evidence yet that the club’s youthful squad and rookie manager have found common cause.