Conference League omission a hammer blow to Cole Palmer’s long-term Dream Team prospects

COLE PALMER’S (£6.3m) long-term Dream Team prospects have been dealt a hammer blow.

Chelsea have not included the 22-year-old in their squad for the Uefa Conference League in an attempt to manage his workload.

The Blues qualified for the league stage of Europe’s tertiary competition after beating Swiss outfit Servette over two play-off legs.

Enzo Maresca’s side are favourites to lift the trophy but Palmer’s omission from the squad suggests the Conference League isn’t a particularly high priority.

The PFA Young Player of the Year has been Chelsea’s talisman since his transfer from Manchester City – he scored 25 goals in all competitions last season.

More importantly, he’s become one of Dream Team’s most-popular assets.

In fact, only Erling Haaland (£8.8m) features in more teams at the time of writing.

Palmer’s owners would have been relishing the prospect of a top-tier performer being unleashed upon favourable opposition with Chelsea set to face the likes of FC Noah, Shamrock Rovers and Heidenheim in the coming weeks.

The club’s decision to save their best player for domestic duties should stave off fatigue and improve their league prospects but Dream Team bosses will see nothing but a lorry-load of points going up in smoke.

Such is Palmer’s pedigree, he remains an excellent option even without additional fixtures to bolster his schedule.

Chelsea didn’t have any European commitments last season and the England international still racked up 350+ points when all was said and done.

But it’s simply true that players active in Europe generally earn more points in the long run.

Palmer is currently ranked fourth among midfielders having amassed 32 points via one goal and four assists.

Will he be able to keep pace with the likes of Luis Diaz (£4.7m), Bukayo Saka (£6.3m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£6.6m) when the European games start coming thick and fast?

Palmer may be added to Chelsea’s European squad after the league stage but there’s a danger he would have fallen too far behind by then.

Gaffers should be aware that the Champions League and Europa League are expected to be particularly profitable this season due to the revamped format.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United are guaranteed eight continental fixtures each throughout the league phase, with the knockouts to follow for those that qualify.

Palmer has been a passionate points hoarder in Chelsea blue but he’s suddenly giving up a significant number of fixtures to his rivals.

It will be interesting to see to what extent his ownership decreases as a result of his omission from the Conference League squad – Romeo Lavia (£2.8m) and Wesley Fofana (£2.6m) are the other big names left out.