For quite a while now, Coventry City have been in dire need of an additional attacking creative player who could lessen the burden on Callum O’Hare, in Kasey Palmer, the club look to have found someone who fits that exact billing. With O’Hare having missed the start of this campaign, the arrival of a player in the mould of Kasey Palmer couldn’t have been timelier. Fitness issues have prevented Palmer from getting fully up to speed in a Sky Blue shirt, but what has been seen from him thus far have suggested that he is someone who can add a valuable additional creative threat to this team.
Billed as something of a luxury player, the most notable thing about Kasey Palmer’s style of play at Coventry City thus far has been how he is anything but a luxury. Palmer’s desire to close down opposition players and make tackles, as well as possessing a surprising amount of physicality and aerial ability, have been the defining characteristics of his performances for the club thus far. It’s not that there isn’t a level of technical skill to his game, it’s that he plays with such an incredible amount of hustle without the ball that it is the other side of his game that stands out. Palmer can be something of a wrecking ball in the attacking midfield area, which can really knock opponents off rhythm, but it may come at the cost of being able to sustain his preferred level of intensity of 90 minutes and perhaps also the level of calm required to convert his energy into goals and assists.
The question hanging over Kasey Palmer over his next 10-20 games in a Coventry City shirt is whether he can reach a higher standard of fitness and can start getting the goals and assists that it feels like he is on the verge of attaining. There is a lot of excitement around Palmer right now because his style is so eye-catching and there is the promise that there may be further levels in his game waiting to be unleashed, delivering on that potential could be more difficult. As it stands, Palmer is a player who is most effective in short, sharp bursts – preferably, towards the end of games – which works quite well for a Coventry City side that is currently primarily interested in keeping games tight and also has Callum O’Hare set to return. It would be great if there is more to unlock from Kasey Palmer, but what he is doing right now in something of a specialist role has actually proven to be rather effective.
Sideways Sammy 