Palmer drops truth bomb: 'I had to be persuaded to join Chelsea'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 13 Nov 2024 15:37 GMT
• 3 min read

Cole Palmer has once again reiterated that he had no intention of permanently leaving Manchester City in 2023.

The Chelsea star will surely go down as one of the biggest mistakes in Pep Guardiola's illustrious career. A local boy, a homegrown prospect at Man City, the Spaniard refused to give the youngster regular minutes and eventually sold him on in a decision that looks worse with each passing game.

Palmer has become nothing short of a superstar at Chelsea, notching 32 goals and 20 assists in 58 appearances since his €47 million move in 2023. Earlier this season, he became the first player in Premier League history to score a whopping four goals in the first half of a game.

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To say that Palmer has been a resounding success at Chelsea would be an understatement and yet, the 22-year-old has never made a secret of the fact that he wasn't keen to leave his boyhood club.

In an interview with GQ, Palmer has now reiterated that he had to be persuaded to complete a permanent exit last year.

Palmer on Man City exit

Explaining his move to Stamford Bridge, Palmer said: "I wasn't even gonna go [to] Chelsea. I got persuaded. I just knew I wasn't going to play as much as I wanted to.

"Even when I was going to England [camps] with younger age groups, you had players there who were playing in the league every week. And you're looking around thinking, I can play in the league. When you're not playing, it's annoying.

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"I just wanted to go on loan. I remember training on a Wednesday at City in the afternoon, and the news was 'they're trying to agree a fee'. Every time the ball went out I'd ask the kit man or the doctor if they've agreed the fee yet.

"So I didn't really get a chance to see many people and say I'm going. I just had to get my stuff. I messaged the group chat, said 'Thanks and everything. I'm gone.' That was it."