Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole believes Pep Guardiola made a “mistake” in allowing Cole Palmer to leave Manchester City last year.
The England international has been a phenomenon since arriving at Stamford Bridge and Cole says it was a rare error of judgement by Guardiola:
“Cole Palmer is technically an elite player and is on an incredible career trajectory. I don’t think Pep Guardiola has got many things wrong during his time at Manchester City, but letting Palmer walk out the door, could be a mistake because of what a player he’s been.”
“He was the all-important player for Chelsea last season, and over the summer, the team has improved around him. I think Chelsea are in a position now, providing they get Champions League football, that they won’t even need to consider letting him go. He’s improving the team and he’s bringing everyone with him and the rest of the squad are pulling in the right direction.”
Palmer’s numbers have been incredible
Since moving down south, the 22-year-old has scored 31 goals and provided 20 assists in 54 appearances. He is averaging a goal involvement every 1.06 games.
Of course, with that sort of record, City fans can’t help but think what might have been if he had decided to stay at the Etihad a little while longer.
City have other young talents coming through the ranks
As we saw in pre-season and the Community Shield, there was every chance that Oscar Bobb would have hit the ground running this campaign. It was, therefore, a big blow for the Norwegian when he was ruled out for several months with a leg injury before the opening-day win against Chelsea.
Supporters should also not forget how young Savinho is. The Brazilian is two years younger than Palmer and, while he isn’t registering the same number of goals and assists as his English counterpart yet, he does possess huge potential.
Joe Cole was speaking ahead of the international break. To get his tips and predictions every week, visit Paddy Power News
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
