Chelsea finally get one over on Man City with inspired Palmer deal
FT Desk
- Updated: 7 Oct 2023 19:09 BST
- 3 min read
For years, one man has haunted the halls of Stamford Bridge.
In their infinite wisdom, Chelsea decided that Kevin De Bruyne was not good enough to make the grade. Manchester City, of course, thought otherwise.
The rest of the story is familiar enough. The Belgium international flourished at the Etihad Stadium and quickly became one of the world's premier midfielders, the cornerstone of a City team which has dominated English football for much of the past decade.
READ: Chelsea want to sign Osimhen - but there's a problem
The Blues, in comparison, have been a sometimes formidable but inconsistent force over that same period, and it is hard even to imagine just how crucial De Bruyne's magical touch could have proved had they kept faith with him back in 2014 instead of shipping him out to Wolfsburg.
Now, though, they might just exact a measure of revenge, in the shape of the sparkling Cole Palmer.
Palmer was a surprise arrival at Stamford Bridge on deadline day, moving from City in a £45 million deal.
Despite his clear talent the 21-year-old struggled for minutes among City's star-studded line-up and he has wasted no time in showing what he can do as he strives to turn around a disappointing start to the season for the Londoners.
Chelsea and Palmer on a roll
Having impressed last weekend against Fulham in his first league start, Palmer once more received the nod from Mauricio Pochettino for Saturday's visit to Burnley.
He did not let his employers down. The right winger stepped up to convert from the penalty spot to put Chelsea 2-1 up at Turf Moor and mark his first ever goal in the Premier League.
He also added a late assist for Nicolas Jackson as the visitors eventually ran out comfortable winners and was generally a menace to the Burnley defence, standing out throughout for his ability on the ball and eye for a pass.
All of a sudden, Chelsea are on a bit of a roll. Pochettino's men have now won all three of their last three outings, having also dispatched dangerous Brighton in the Carabao Cup at the end of September.
Those games, perhaps not entirely coincidentally, all featured Palmer from the start. The youngster is having a big impact on this recovering Blues team and, while it is far too early for wild predictions, the hope is that in a decade's time he will make City look back and wonder, what if, exactly in the manner of a certain Belgian maestro.
