Manchester City are at a loss right now, and Pep Guardiola may be ruing the fact that the club sold someone who has since become one of the Premier League’s best players.
Last time out, Man City were beaten 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in a game that had become an unlikely crunch match in the race for 4th. And what would’ve been even more unthinkable at the start of the season is the fact that Forest thoroughly deserved the win.
Pep Guardiola’s side seem to be desperately wanting for the end of the season and for the summer transfer window, with a horde of new players needed to get this side back where it belongs.
Man City are planning a summer overhaul and some of the elder statesmen in the side will be moved on. In return, Guardiola will bring in some fresher legs with a number of exciting names linked, one such name being Eduardo Camavinga who’s a key target for Man City.
But some recent comments will frustrate City as they look to rebuild their midfield department, with Cole Palmer‘s dad revealing the truth about his 2023 exit.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Cole Palmer never wanted to leave Man City for Chelsea
Chelsea signed Palmer in a £40million deal from City in 2023, and the rest is history. The 22-year-old has established himself as one of the Premier League and Europe’s best attacking midfielders, with 22 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League last season alone.
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Palmer has also become a key player in the England side, once again shining in 2024/25 with 14 goals and six assists in 28 league games for Chelsea, who’ve now overtaken Man City in the Premier League table sitting in 4th.
Speaking on Amazon Prime’s ‘England’s Lions: A New Generation’, Palmer’s father Jermaine said that Palmer never wanted to leave the Etihad Stadium, explaining: “He thought he’d be at Man City all his life. He didn’t really want to leave. He wanted to go on loan because he knew he wasn’t going to play much. But they refused him a loan. So he said he’d have to leave.”
Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images
What Cole Palmer has now said about leaving Man City for Chelsea
In the same interview, Palmer himself spoke out about his exit from City, explaining how he never wanted to leave but that he felt he had to.
He said: “I was so adamant for ages I wasn’t going, I’ve never moved out of Manchester. I really didn’t want to go. [But] you get a bit disheartened at Man City; why am I not getting a chance to play? You just know when you’re ready.”
Guardiola surely rues not giving Palmer his chance to shine. He clearly had the potential to flourish and it’s now left City in desperate need of a new Kevin De Bruyne type player, whilst watching one of their own in Palmer prevail at a Premier League rival.
City can’t make the same mistake again. But whether Guardiola learns from his mistakes remains to be seen.