We all know that Manchester City’s squad is stacked with world-class players. In fact, the Premier League champions arguably boast one of the strongest squads of all time.
Still, there is a sense that Man City could regret selling Cole Palmer to Chelsea. For all their attacking firepower, the Cityzens have allowed one of England’s brightest young starts to leave.
Unbelievable. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/7Sq2MmDWOr— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 12, 2023
Unbelievable. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/7Sq2MmDWOr
Palmer has already come back to haunt his former club, as the 21-year-old scored a 95th-minute penalty to earn his new team a 4-4 draw last weekend.
If he continues to produce eye-catching performances on a regular basis, City may end up ruing the day that Palmer left the Etihad for Stamford Bridge.
Palmer joined Man City’s academy back in 2010 and made his first-team debut in 2020. However, between 2020 and 2023, the forward played just 489 minutes of Premier League action.
In total, Palmer made 41 appearances across all competitions for City, bagging six goals and two assists. That said, he only racked up 1,482 minutes, meaning he averaged 36 minutes per appearance.
Concerned by a lack of minutes at the Etihad, Palmer joined Chelsea in September for a reported fee of £40 million. Since then, the tricky winger has announced himself on the Premier League stage.
Palmer has made nine league appearances for the Blues, chalking up four goals and two assists. After coming off the bench in the first three games, he has started each of the previous six.
The 21-year-old has also notched two assists in as many EFL Cup matches, meaning he has registered four goals and four assists in 11 appearances for his new club.
On top of that, Palmer has been rewarded for his efforts with a call-up to the England squad, with Gareth Southgate recognising his impact.
After bagging nine goals and two assists for England U18, Palmer racked up 15 goals and five assists for England U21, playing a key role in the recent European Championship triumph.
Of course, it is easy to understand why he left Man City. With Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and Julian Alvarez all battling for a place in the team, Palmer’s game time was limited.
Even so, Pep Guardiola could regret selling Palmer to Chelsea. The starlet has already proved that he belongs in the Premier League, and he will only continue to improve.