Cole Palmer worked his way all the way up the Manchester City academy to their first team, and Scott Carson has told a story of what he was like in training.
Of course, Cole Palmer has grown into a global name in the sport during the last couple of years, becoming the talisman at Chelsea. After moving to Stamford Bridge in the 2023 summer window, the left-footed attacking midfielder has gone from strength to strength.
However, like Chelsea teammates Romeo Lavia and Liam Delap, Palmer’s football education was at Man City. He actually made 41 senior appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side before leaving the Etihad Stadium.
Club Appearances Goals Assists Trophies
Chelsea 101 45 29 2
Manchester City 41 6 2 7
Palmer, who’s currently on the injury table, definitely made the right decision to chase more first-team football because he was clearly ready for the next step.
The 23-year-old talent recently finished eighth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or to recognise him as one of the world’s elite players.
Cole Palmer in a Manchester City training session.
Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images
Scott Carson recalls seeing a young Cole Palmer at Manchester City
During a conversation on Fozcast – The Ben Foster Podcast, Scott Carson, the former Man City goalkeeper, remembers watching Palmer in training as a youngster.
In fairness, he had doubts about whether he could kick on to the next level, something which concerned him with most academy graduates at Man City due to the incredible competition in the first team.
When asked if he could see the talent with any academy prospects at Man City, Carson explained: “Obviously Cole Palmer was, he’s good, but even his body language and stuff, and you look and think, is he going to be able to kick on? But the thing is with Pep [Guardiola], obviously that’s why he’s so good, he obviously can see this, and next thing you know, that he sticks them in for a game, and you’re like, oh, I didn’t see that one coming.”
Cole Palmer in training at the Manchester City training ground.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
The good news is that on top of being an incredibly gifted footballer, Palmer is also a superb professional. It helped him make a senior breakthrough at Premier League giants Man City before catapulting himself to a new level in London.
Palmer is regularly mentioned as one of Chelsea’s best trainers, so it’s great to hear he puts the hard yards in away from the pitch.
Even if the England international comes across as quite laid-back, he’s the complete opposite when it comes to his work.
Cole Palmer with the Player of the Match award after Manchester City beat Sevilla in the Super Cup.
Photo by Alex Caparros – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
How Chelsea are coping without Cole Palmer
Of course, Palmer is the top footballer in Chelsea’s talented squad, proving himself time and time again at the Bridge. Even so, the team’s results haven’t been catastrophic this season without him.
Chelsea’s results with Palmer in the 2025-26 season:
Matches Wins Draws Losses
4 0 2 2
Chelsea’s results without Palmer in the 2025-26 season:
Matches Wins Draws Losses
8 7 0 1
It is a very strange coincidence that Maresca’s team have much better results when their talisman has been missing. However, it will be a huge relief when he’s back fit at the end of November.
When Chelsea go into the business end of the campaign, they will be desperate for Palmer to be fit and firing again.