Palmer is on course to finish his debut season ahead of Diego Costa, who was involved in 23 goals in his first Premier League season at Chelsea, while Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink remains in first place on 32.
Insiders believe Palmer’s form has made him the leading candidate to be named PFA Young Player of the Year, which is open to those aged 21 or under before July 1 preceding the start of the season.
Palmer has become a beacon of hope for Chelsea, which is reflected that his image has recently dominated the club’s social media channels, during another tough campaign for the club.
Chelsea have spent over £1 billion on players since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital pair Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano took over the running of the club.
But, under Boehly and Clearlake, Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League table last season and lie 11th this term with 10 games to play, starting against Manchester United on Thursday night.
Boehly has received criticism from fans and pundits, but, in an interview with Forbes, he said: “We just need to let the process develop and give them the time to go from being unbelievable individual players with great skills to fold into a team.
“The good news is people care so much. And the bad news is people care so much. That leads to times when they’re frustrated with the team and the owners. I get that, but we just have to continue to stay the course.”
As exclusively revealed by Telegraph Sport, Chelsea have agreed a new contract with academy graduate Alfie Gilchrist in recognition of his breakthrough season with the first team.
A boyhood Chelsea fan, Gilchrist has signed a new deal that is expected to run to 2026 with the option of a further year.
“Signing this contract at Chelsea is a massive achievement for me and my family,” said Gilchrist. “It was a no-brainer and every time I’ve signed a contract here it has felt nicer and nicer. But now I want to keep on pushing on and keep improving.”