An in-depth look into our new signing, Kasey Palmer…
Born in Lewisham, Kasey Palmer began his football career at Charlton Athletic aged nine. Progressing through the ranks at the Addicks, the midfielder earned his first international caps for England Under-17s, his first as a substitute in a friendly defeat away against Germany in February 2013.
Earning a further two caps in the same month against Portugal in the Algarve Tournament and the Netherlands, his form secured a move to Chelsea’s academy the following month for a small compensation fee.
Beginning his scholarship the season after, Palmer won two major youth honours during his first full campaign with the Blues. Featuring in both the semi-finals and final of the FA Youth Cup, which Chelsea won over Fulham after two legs, Palmer also won the Under-21 Premier League when defeating Manchester City in the semi-finals on penalties and Manchester United 2-1 in the final. Also appearing twice in the UEFA Youth League, Palmer featured six times for the Under-21 side, scoring his only goal in a 4-2 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Under-21 Premier League.
The 2014/15 campaign saw Palmer feature consecutively from the fifth round to the final as Chelsea retained their FA Youth Cup title, defeating Manchester City over a two-legged final. The now-27-year-old played 182 minutes in the run, scoring in the fifth round in a 6-0 win over Swansea City. Netting four goals in 15 games in the Under-21 Premier League, he also featured six times in the UEFA Youth League as Chelsea won the competition, with Palmer playing at every stage and netting in the second in the 3-1 win over Zenit St Petersburg in the round of 16.
The 2015/16 campaign saw more silverware for Chelsea and Palmer. Scoring five goals in 17 Under-21 Premier League appearances, the midfielder played a key role in the Blues successfully defending the UEFA Pro League. Scoring five goals in eight outings, he scored the winner in the final against PSG, winning 2-1. Palmer was also included in a first-team matchday squad twice for Premier League fixtures against Swansea City in April 2016 and away to Liverpool a month later.
In July 2016, Palmer joined Championship side Huddersfield Town on a season-long loan deal. Making his debut in the season opener against Brentford as a substitute, it took Palmer a minute to open his account when scoring the winner with just his second touch in a 2-1 victory. Recording an assist in his second league appearance in a 2-1 win away at Newcastle United, the midfielder was a consistent feature for the promotion-chasing Terriers in the first half of the campaign, scoring five goals and recording three assists in 26 appearances in all competitions.
Missing the second half of the season after suffering an Achilles tendon problem, Palmer missed both play-off semi-finals against Sheffield Wednesday, which Huddersfield won on penalties. In the final shootout win at Wembley over Reading, Palmer made his 27th and final appearance of the season when coming on in the first half of extra time.
Penning a contract extension with parent club Chelsea upon his return, he rejoined Huddersfield the next day on loan. Featuring in the first three Premier League games of the season, as well as the EFL Cup second round, a hamstring injury ruled him out until the end of November, featuring once more against Everton in December 2017.
Playing once for Chelsea’s Under-21 side after returning in January 2018, Palmer joined Derby County on loan for the remainder of the campaign. Making his Rams debut three days later against Brentford, he scored back-to-back league goals at home to Leeds United and away to Reading. Helping Derby reach the play-off semi-finals, which they lost over two legs to Fulham, Palmer featured 16 times for the club, scoring twice and recording one assist.
For the 2018/19 season, Palmer made his fourth career loan, joining Blackburn Rovers. Making his debut in the season opener against Ipswich Town, the attacking midfielder scored his first Blackburn goal in his second outing, a 5-1 win over Carlisle United in the EFL Cup first round. Scoring in the second round against Lincoln City, Palmer scored his only Championship goal for Rovers in a 1-0 win over Brentford.
After three goals in 17 outings for Blackburn, he switched loan clubs in January to join fellow Championship side Bristol City for the remainder of the 2018/19 season. Scoring on debut as a substitute in a 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers, Palmer netted twice and recorded one assist in 17 appearances.
In August 2019, Palmer signed for Bristol City permanently from Chelsea, penning a four-year deal. Featuring 27 times, scoring once and recording three assists in his first full season with the Robins, Palmer joined Swansea City on loan in October 2020 after only featuring twice for Bristol City in the beginning of the 2020/21 season, with both appearances coming in the EFL Cup.
Scoring his only Swansea goal in a 2-0 win over Stoke City in the same month, he featured 12 times before being recalled by the Robins in January 2021 and featured a further 25 times, scoring twice and recording two assists.
Netting once in eight outings for Bristol City in the 2021/22 season, Palmer signed a three-year deal for fellow Championship side Coventry City for an undisclosed fee in June 2022. Featuring 32 times in all competitions, scoring four goals and recording three assists, a hamstring injury ruled Palmer out for March and April, but he managed to feature in the play-off final defeat against Luton Town.
Thirty-eight outings yielded four goals and eight assists in Palmer’s second season at Coventry, with one of his goals coming against Hull City, a stunning free-kick in a 3-2 defeat in April 2024. Featuring five times at the beginning of the 2024/25 season, he scored in his most recent Championship appearance against former employers Bristol City and recorded assists against Bristol City and Oxford United in the EFL Cup, taking his total to eight goals and seven assists in 79 outings.
Internationally, Palmer has been capped for England at Under-17, Under-18, Under-20 and Under-21 levels. Earning three caps for the Under-17s, Palmer played once for the Under-18s in a friendly win over Hungary in October 2013, once for the Under-20s, scoring in the friendly defeat against Canada in March 2016, and appeared six times for England Under-21s.
Making his debut under Gareth Southgate in a win over Portugal in May 2016, four of his caps came in the 2016 Toulon Tournament triumph, with the other two coming in European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against the Netherlands and Latvia, scoring against the latter in his final Young Lions appearance in a 3-0 win.
In March 2021, Palmer switched his international allegiance to represent Jamaica. He was given his debut by ex-Tiger Theodore Whitmore in March 2021 in a 4-1 friendly defeat to USA. Palmer has earned nine senior caps for the Reggae Boyz, most recently featuring in the 2024 Copa América.
