Cole Palmer (£10.8m) was a controversial choice for England men’s player of the year after just two starts for his national team.

His achievements in the last 12 months of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) have been altogether more laudable.

Just over a year ago, on October 2, Palmer made his first league start for Chelsea.

Since then, he’s risen just under £6.0m in price, scored 28 goals, assisted 18 others and racked up over 300 points.

With the October international break still ongoing, we thought it was a good time to reflect upon Palmer’s breakout year in FPL.

All of the below analysis is from Gameweek 7 of 2023/24 to the corresponding Gameweek of this campaign.

THE BASIC NUMBERS

One game short of a full 38-match campaign, Palmer has hit 307 points since his full debut just over 12 months ago.

That’s four points more than Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) racked up in 2017/18. The Egyptian’s score of 303 FPL points remains the highest in a single season. Salah can, of course, point out that his triple century came from just 34 starts and two substitute appearances.

Of the teams he’s faced since his full debut, there are only two he’s yet to return against: Aston Villa and Liverpool. Palmer actually encountered the Villans on four occasions last season, twice in the FA Cup and once as a substitute in Gameweek 6; they stopped him from scoring each time.

He can complete the set in the next six Gameweeks, with the Reds up this Sunday and Villa to follow in Gameweek 13.

The trio of newly promoted clubs, Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich Town, are all to come after the November international break.

Manchester United are a favourite opponent: he has already stuck four goals past the Red Devils. Palmer notched a treble at Stamford Bridge, racking up nine shots – a tally he’s not beaten since – in the process.

PALMER V OTHERS SINCE HIS FULL CHELSEA DEBUT