Things could have been very different for Chelsea star Cole Palmer had a proposed move earlier in his career gone through.
Despite a slight dip in recent form, the Blues midfielder is still one of the standout players in the Premier League. He has excelled since making the move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023.
After failing to fully establish himself in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad, Chelsea paid a fee of £40 million for the player. And he has not looked back since.
In his 78 appearances in a Chelsea shirt, Palmer has scored 39 times, and provided a further 22 assists. So far this season, he has scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 28 Premier League appearances.
Palmer came through the youth ranks at Manchester City, but could have made the move to rivals Manchester United very early in his career, according to United youth coach Colin Little. Speaking to the Talk of the Devils podcast, Little revealed: “I know Cole Palmer’s family quite well, I know his dad and his uncle,” he said. “We (Man United) were close to getting Cole Palmer when he was about 16, believe it or not.
“He was umming and ahhing, and I knew he was a big United fan. He was at that age where you’re allowed to leave, 16 is it? They were umming and ahhing, Man City, about it.
“I think City, in the end, made him a good enough offer, but really he was always a United fan, and it was close, I remember speaking.
“I think City needed to show him a bit more love and that kind of stuff. We never quite got it over the line, but it would’ve been nice if we did, wouldn’t it?”
Luckily for Chelsea, the deal didn’t go through and Palmer remained at City, putting him on the path to join the Blues.
After missing both the Arsenal game and the England matches over the international break, the midfielder has now returned to training in what is a boost for Enzo Maresca’s side.
He will hope to return for Thursday night’s Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night (8pm kick-off).
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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