15 November 2023 , 14:01
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Cole Palmer's early Chelsea performances have seen him named in the England squad for the first time with his decision to depart Manchester City paying off.
The young playmaker opted to leave his boyhood club in the summer, despite seeing his influence grow. Palmer scored in the Community Shield and the UEFA Super Cup at the start of the season but shortly after secured a £42.5m switch to City's rivals Chelsea amid concerns over his playing time.
Pep Guardiola has eased young players into the first-team picture, as has been seen with Phil Foden, and Palmer decided his career was best served at Stamford Bridge. He's taken on a leading role, scoring four times in nine Premier League outings with Gareth Southgate coming calling.
His role in the England squad this week is seen as legitimisation for the player's move, but he insists his switch to Chelsea was motivated by more playing time, not a desire to get into the England squad.
He said: "It happened so fast. I spoke to someone at Chelsea and I was speaking to my dad but I really didn’t know what to do. I was thinking about it for a couple of days, every minute of the day and then I thought for my career I have to go and get regular game time. It was a really tough decision.
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"But the competition that's [at City], the players that were there, the players that they were going to try to sign... I wasn't sure. I don’t think [England recognition] was a big part of it to be honest, I wasn’t even thinking of an England call up when I first went to Chelsea, I just wanted to play more games and have an opportunity to prove [myself]. Getting called up is just a bonus."
Cole Palmer's early season form has been rewarded with an England call-up (Getty Images)Mauricio Pochettino showed how he could develop young players during his tenure at Tottenham and his current Chelsea squad is filling with players who have a similar profile. The Argentine got on the phone to try and get the deal over the line, which paid dividends.
"I spoke to him before [the move] once and it was a good phone call, so I decided to go," Palmer added. "A lot of people told me how he is with young players and since I went to Chelsea I can see it. I’m enjoying working with him and I’m excited to carry on.
"He has given me the confidence and licence to go where I want on the pitch, where I feel I can use my strengths so I’m grateful for it."