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'Interesting watching…' – What Cole Palmer was telling summer signing on the pitch at Stamford Bridge

Originally posted on Chelsea News | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 11:21 AM ET

Chelsea are taking on AC Milan at Stamford Bridge this afternoon, and they’ve picked up right where they left off on Friday night against Bayer Leverkusen.

The Blues have torn in Max Allegri’s team, scoring two early and then just sitting back and cruising as the Italian side saw themselves reduced to ten men. It’s good news for the Chelsea players, who get a pretty relaxing run around in the August sunshine, but it does make it harder for individuals to prove their point to the manager Enzo Maresca.

Palmer has words with new teammate Gittens

The team that started today’s game is very solid and looks like it will be very close to the team that starts against Crystal Palace next weekend in the Premier League’s big kick off.

One position we do have questions about is on the wing. Estevao Willian was brilliant on Friday, and Jamie Gittens is going to have to battle with him for minutes.

Nizaar Kinsella of the BBC noted something “interesting” involving the summer signing from Borussia Dortmund. He saw that Cole Palmer was “talking a lot to Gittens about his positioning.”

Estevao seemed to have an instant connection with Palmer when they played together on Friday night. Gittens is going to have to try and match that. That’s what these preseason gams are all about.

Gittens has hot competition in Chelsea squad

Gittens is very much a rough diamond – he’s got incredible dribbling skills, but needs work tactically and defensively.

The fact that he started today is a great sign for him, showing he’s already high up in Maresca’s thinking, but that could all change with the return of Romeo Lavia, which could push Palmer out wide at the expense of Gittens.

This article first appeared on Chelsea News and was syndicated with permission.

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