Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson has backed Cole Palmer to overcome his drop in form.

Palmer and Chelsea have hit the buffers since new year, with his drop-off coinciding with the death of their title challenge. 

The 22-year-old is yet to contribute a league assist in 2025, while he has scored just twice since the turn of the year. In comparison, he ranked second for Premier League goal contributions between August and December, having scored 12 and assisted six goals.

His shot conversion rate, meanwhile, has dropped from 17.65% to just 5.88%, and he also missed a penalty for the first time in his career when he saw an attempt saved against Leicester City earlier in March.

But, according to Johnson, there is no need to panic, as he suggested that people need to acknowledge that players go through dips in form from time to time.

"You don't become a bad player overnight and everyone has dips in form," he told Stats Perform.

"To be fair to him, he's carried Chelsea on his shoulders, on his own, almost. I think it would be a shame to point fingers at him now because he's not quite at the same level as he was a few months ago. But he'll bounce back.

"It might be too much game time, he might be feeling towards the end of the season a bit leggy. But no, he's a world-class player and if they get a few more around him, I'm sure he'll bounce back."

Palmer has played 78 games for Chelsea in all competitions since joining from Manchester City in 2023, and has registered 62 goal contributions for the Blues. 

He is, according to Johnson, Chelsea's key man and can cement his status as a world-class player with more experience.

"You want to see it for a few more seasons of course, but it's not easy to carry a team and he's been doing it," he said.

"That's no disrespect to the others, but they haven't been quite at that level.

"They're picking up now, but he's winning games and whenever they. So, I think for him to do that at that level is impressive."

Chelsea were touted as potential title contenders before Christmas, but the best the Blues can hope for in regards to league placing is a push for the Champions League.

"I think they're almost there. They showed glimpses this year where they're competing and putting in some really good performances, but it's just been a bit inconsistent," said Johnson.

"I think they'll be buzzing to be where they are in the league at the moment and if they can hang on to that it'll be a great season.

"I think they've taken steps in the right direction. I think with a little bit more consistency they're not going to be too far away."