Cole Palmer is the best thing to happen to Chelsea since sliced bread – or, at the very least, since Eden Hazard.
The 22-year-old has flourished into one of Europe’s top attacking talents since making the switch from Manchester City a year-and-a half ago. So far, Palmer and Chelsea have been a perfect match. But that hasn’t completely silenced speculation about his long-term future.
Historically, Chelsea’s financial strength and on-field success have kept their top talents from being poached. However, if the Blues fail to re-establish themselves as serious contenders for major honours, rival clubs may see an opportunity to pry players like Palmer away from Stamford Bridge.
That said, Shaun Wright-Phillips – who, like Palmer, joined Chelsea from City in his early 20s – believes it would be “a mistake” for both the player and the club to part ways. He also reckons that Enzo Maresca’s side failing to secure a top-four spot this season won’t be enough to force the issue.
“Even if Chelsea miss out on the Champions League, there’s not a chance Cole Palmer leaves,” the 43-year-old told BetVictor. “I think he’s found his home and Chelsea will do everything in their power to keep him for as long as possible. If they let him go, it would be a big mistake on their behalf.
(Image: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP)
“At his age and with his quality, he’s the player they should be building the team around. If they can give him as much freedom as possible going forwards and as little work to do defensively, then he’ll only keep getting better.”
Wright-Phillips joined Chelsea in a £21million deal in 2005. He won the Premier League and the FA Cup during his first two seasons in west London, but largely struggled for consistency and game-time.
Arjen Robben’s departure in 2007 pushed Wright-Phillips further up the pecking order, but that didn’t stop him re-joining City when the opportunity arose in 2008. Across his three-year stint at Stamford Bridge, he made 125 appearances and scored 10 goals.
(Image: Chris Lee – Chelsea FC)
In 2020, Wright-Phillips admitted he was “emotionally broken” after moving to Chelsea, as he’d planned to spend his whole career at City. “Chelsea made a bid for me and City said they were accepting it. I took it as, ‘OK, obviously you don’t want me at the club any more,” he told Four Four Two.
“On the way down to London, I cried like I was 12. I cried for an hour – I was emotionally broken. A few months later, I found out the truth behind what happened: City had no choice but to sell me, because they were possibly about to go into administration or something along those lines.
He went on to say: “Chelsea was a new chapter in my life. I loved it there and the supporters were tremendous with me. I had some tough times, but they always cheered for me.”
Palmer, who spent 13 years at City, never planned to leave the club either. But after being told his first team minutes would be limited at the Etihad Stadium, and that a loan move wasn’t possible, he decided to up sticks.
“I wasn’t even gonna go [to] Chelsea. I got persuaded,” Palmer told GQ in November. “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.”
Speaking to Sky Sports in March, Palmer elaborated: “I thought I was ready to play football week in, week out and that’s the reason [I joined Chelsea]. I just wanted to showcase my ability and thankfully it has paid off. It was a very difficult decision to leave City, I was there since six years old. I was ready to play football, had a chat with my family, had a chat with the club and moved to Chelsea.”
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- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
