Louis Saha believes Cole Palmer could still one day join Manchester United
Premier League icon Louis Saha believes Cole Palmer's affection for Manchester United could see him move to Old Trafford one day.
The Red Devils are seemingly in a state of disharmony behind the scenes after Dan Ashworth stepped down just five months into his role as sporting director. That's left United somewhat uncertain regarding their direction in the transfer market, though a player of Palmer's calibre would undoubtedly be welcome at the club.
It would have been too much to expect Manchester City to sell to their fiercest rivals last year when Palmer - a boyhood United fan - joined Chelsea for £40million. And while a deal may not be feasible at present given United's struggles to regain footing among England's elite, 2008 Champions League-winner Saha believes it may become possible in future.
"Cole Palmer to Manchester United would one day make sense because he grew up being a fan of the club, but there is only one club I can see him going to after Chelsea," he told Complete Sports. "I can see him being on a trajectory to Real Madrid, and I don’t think the move would phase him, he never doubts himself or thinks about things for too long.
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"He wants to enjoy his game and he’s having fun. I’m very jealous of Chelsea because he is a huge star and I think he’d be a big success if he went to Spain."
Chelsea felt so confident in their star's ability that they've awarded him a contract until 2033. That could pose a major issue to any clubs wishing to get him out of west London and essentially rules out the prospect of a free transfer for the player while he's still anywhere close to his prime.
Palmer, 22, has been linked with a potential move to Real in recent weeks after establishing himself as Chelsea's most important player. An English revolution could be on the horizon at the Bernabeu, with Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold also possibly joining England team-mate Jude Bellingham in Madrid next summer.
Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth has left Man United by mutual agreement
Going from City obscurity to hero status at Stamford Bridge, Palmer's development has taken the masses by surprise. Needless to say the player's valuation today would be way above the £40m Chelsea paid for his services, but Saha doesn't blame his former side for not having that foresight.
"In hindsight it’s easy to say that Manchester United should’ve signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City, but it wasn’t so obvious at the time," added the Frenchman. "Looking at him now you can see that he lives for the game and he always wants to play and improve, he is constantly proving people wrong and there is no limit to what he can achieve.
"I’m a huge fan of his mentality and his consistency, United don’t have that at the moment, they also have the headache with the director of football, it’s not easy."
It remains to be seen whether United will appoint a new sporting director or leave it to their remaining staff to handle transfers moving forward. Whomever is calling the shots, however, will hope to avoid more missed opportunities just like Palmer slipping through the net.
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