Cole Palmer blasted himself to the top of the Premier League's goalscoring charts with four strikes against Everton on Monday night - but he has not received any goal bonus for his heroics.
The former Manchester City star joined Chelsea in a £42.5million deal on transfer deadline day last summer and has provided a rare light in a difficult season for the Blues. The 21-year-old has put himself in contention for England's Euro 2024 squad and become Mauricio Pochettino's chief attacking outlet.
Even amidst an impressive season, few would have predicted Palmer drawing level with former teammate Erling Haaland in the top goalscorer rankings. Seven goals have arrived in the youngster's last three matches after recording hat-tricks against Manchester United and Everton.
Palmer's drive to get on the scoresheet is not a financial one, however. None of his 23 Chelsea goals across all competitions have come with an added bonus after not negotiating one into his Blues' contract.
Palmer signed a seven-year deal worth £80,000-a-week upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge and has shown he has an eye for the back of the net. The Chelsea star heads into the final stretch of the season on 20 Premier League goals, one goal ahead of Ollie Watkins and three ahead of forwards Mo Salah, Dominic Solanke and Aleksander Isak.
Even with no possibility of a cash boost, Palmer showed some seniority in Pochettino's side to claim penalty-taking duties over Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson. After arguing with each other, the pair showed discontent as captain Conor Gallagher advised that Palmer should retain spotkick responsibilities.
The England international dispatched with ease to record his ninth penalty success of the season. After unsavoury scenes on the pitch, Pochettino has declared there should be no confusion over takes penalties for his side going forward.
"The penalty taker is Palmer," he said. "It's Palmer who needs to decide if he wants to give the ball to a team-mate. It's important to fix. They realise now.
"It's a shame. It's a process for a young team who need to learn a lot. I need to apologise because fans around the world are seeing this type of situation after 4-0 to fight for a penalty.
"They need to learn and be professional. We need to be focused on the collective. It's a clear example that it's a process we still need to learn."
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