Cole Palmer has been criticised for blatantly ignoring young fans as he left Stamford Bridge following Chelsea‘s 5-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.
Palmer, 24, celebrated signing his new Blues deal with an impressive display against the Cherries, claiming an assist as Xabi Alonso‘s side ran riot to climb to sixth in the league.
Despite his sprightly performance, Palmer cut an apathetic and totally uninterested figure as he ignored swarms of young Chelsea fans rushing to greet him outside Stamford Bridge.
A video posted to social media on Sunday showed young supporters holding their phones up in an attempt to take a selfie with Chelsea’s star man, who wore a hood and kept his hands firmly in his pockets as he and his girlfriend Olivia Holder briskly walked past.
Palmer’s decision to flatly ignore the youngsters was met with widespread criticism on social media, as fans expressed their disappointment in him.
‘Might risk the wrath of large sections of our fanbase here but Cole comes across as such an arrogant mug in the manner he completely ignored the kiddos screaming his name,’ one fan posted.
Cole Palmer has come under fire for completely ignoring young fans after Chelsea’s 5-1 win
‘If nothing else, showing them’ young fans a bit of tenderness wouldn’t do Palmer any harm whatsoever.’
A second person added: ‘I get he wants to be private and all that but damn man, you couldn’t just stop for the kid begging for the signature?’
A third said: ‘Getting paid £220,000 a week and you can’t stop for a few minutes to make a kids day?’
Another supporter chimed in and said: ‘All this “if he has to stop for one kid, he has to stop for them all is rubbish”. Sign the lad’s shirt with the Palmer top on and a couple more then apologise to everyone else for not having time to sign them. Simple.’
On Saturday morning, just hours before Chelsea’s clash with Bournemouth, Palmer announced his new deal on a mock Twitch livestream, which saw him respond to fake questions from ‘fans’.
After signing a new long-term contract until 2034, the attacking midfielder appeared on a livestream to answer a series of generated questions, ‘breaking the news’ before Chelsea’s official announcement.
Reading out the question ‘How long are you staying at Chelsea then?’, he responded: ‘Well, I’ve just signed a new contract about 20 minutes ago.’
Palmer’s decision to ignore the young fans was met with widespread criticism on social media
Just hours before Chelsea’s victory over Bournemouth, Palmer announced his new Blues contract on a mock Twitch live stream, answering a series of generated questions
‘So I’m staying for about eight more years. So hopefully you can sing that song a bit more that you all sing.’
Palmer had seven years left to run on his previous deal, but has agreed improved terms with the new contract extending his commitment by a further 12 months.
The 24-year-old also claimed the Blues are making progress and will be in contention to win major trophies.
‘Chelsea means a lot to me and I think the club is going in the right direction, so I’m delighted to sign and I’m obviously very happy,’ Palmer said.
‘Speaking to the owners, to the sporting directors and obviously the manager, they gave me a lot of confidence so it was only right to sign.
‘Speaking to players as well, everyone has the same ambitions. I feel like we can win major trophies here consistently and I want to be a part of that and play a big role in it too.’
The mock Twitch stream comes after Palmer was temporarily suspended from the platform last month after playing EA Sports FC 27 before the game’s release, leading to the midfielder appealing for them to lift his ban.
