Chelsea star ignored Pep Guardiola's advice to turn back on "best scenario"
Cole Palmer admitted his best option this season was to stay at Manchester City and pick up minutes, but opted instead to join Chelsea as he went in search of game time.
The former Manchester City man was given 850 minutes of first-team football by Pep Guardiola last season after the Catalan coach urged patience for the highly-rated England under-21 international. He decided he was done waiting, though, moving to Stamford Bridge in September in a £42.5m switch.
Palmer has already played more Premier League minutes this season than last, prompting some calls for him to receive a senior England call-up. Before he took the plunge, though, the 21-year-old was given clear advice by his former boss Guardiola.
"Cole has a special quality in the box, a talent that is difficult to find," Guardiola said in October 2021 when Palmer scored his first Champions League goal for City. "When he has the ball there, most of the time it ends up in the net. It’s difficult to find that.
“I know how it works with young players. We have to be calm and patient. His position is the second team but at the same time he trains with us and works with our principles.
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"I am happy with the goal. He could have done a few actions a little bit better, but that is normal. It is experience. People in this world want things immediately and everything needs time. You cannot cook a good dish if you don't spend time in the kitchen. Take time."
Should Cole Palmer have stayed at Manchester City? Have your say in the comments section
Cole Palmer has hit the ground running at Chelsea (Ashley Western/Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock)Palmer's own comments suggest he was genuinely torn on his future before joining Chelsea. Increased competition was among his concerns after he netted in the Super Cup in mid-August, with a worry City would add to their ranks and further limit his opportunities.
Sure enough, City moved for Jeremy Doku one week later, spending £55m to sign the winger from Rennes. One week after that, Palmer decided to leave.
"Obviously the best scenario is to stay at City and play," Palmer said after the Super Cup. "But obviously you know what the competition is like, if they bring someone in..
"I have no idea (what the future holds). I just want to play football. So whatever the best decision is when we speak together, that is what I will do."
At the same time, Guardiola indicated he was similarly unsure of what would come next. However, he did open the door to a permanent exit - while ruling out a loan - and that ended up being what happened.
Palmer scored his third Chelsea goal in Monday's win at Tottenham, and manager Pochettino spoke highly of him before kick-off. "When we tried to sign him and when he arrived on the last day of the transfer market, we were always thinking he could become that playmaker that we need on the team," the Argentine said.
"He's showing great character and personality, and then very good performances. I think he deserves to play... because the performances are very good. He's still so young, he didn't play too much at his previous club, but the most important [thing] now is that he's helping the team to perform."
Chelsea have lost their last four Premier League meetings with Manchester City without scoring a goal, with Palmer setting up City's winner the last time the teams met. This time around, the onus will be on him to show that, while the move might have been a risk, it was the right one to make at the time.
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