Cole Palmer

[Coatigan]

He's actually gone for more than James Maddison, Leandro Trossard, Moussa Diaby, Alexis McCallister, Nicholas Jackson, Axel Disasi, Pau Torres, Christian Pulisic, Harvey Barnes, Jurrien Timber, Mateo Kovacic, Riyad Mahrez, Dejan Kulusevski, Micky Van De Ven, Muhammed Kudus, James Ward Prowse, Edson Alvarez. That's actually quite mad when you put it into perspective - and that's just in the Premier League! Christopher Nkunku who was the Bundesliga Footballer of the Year has gone for 6m more!

I was shocked at the Mitrovic fee at 45m, and then thought Neves was a bargain at 47m. Palmer for 45m is fantastic business by City really!

If you look around Europe, Kim to Bayern for 43m, Openda, Sesko and Lukeba to Leipzig all for significantly lower fees. Crazy.

That is a very good bit of perspective.

Apart from Macalister who was £55m, obviously ;)

 

[tommybooth]

Doubt he will get much more time on the pitch at Chelski than City. Their first team squad must be nearly 30 these days.

 

[madloaf]

I was emphasizing the expected competition between Sterling and Cole, based on forum evaluations.

Ah. I misread your comment then. Apologies.

 

[Kamaro011]

People are upset about getting PAID 45 million fucking quid for a bench warmer. I'm fucking mind-blown.

It's more about him being a local and academy player, i can understand some of people will be pretty upset about this.

 

[PragueBlue]

We used to produce quality players and then lose them because we were shit. Now we produce quality players and lose them because it's easier in the short term to throw money at a hole in the squad.

I suspect we lose most of them as they want to play regularly now (along with the financial rewards that brings) and they aren't willing to be patient and compete for their places as Foden has done. I have no doubt that we would have been happy to keep Palmer and he would have got some game time but not as much, or as quickly, as he wanted.

 

[lee_wsm]

I’m wondering if Chelsea will sell sterling to the dippers to replace salah if he goes to Saudi

 

[BMR]

But I don't think there is a proper chance of anyone breaking through to any meaningful level.

Foden is held up as the standard that other academy players have to be at in order to make it but that's unrealistic. The majority of the signings we make aren't his level anyway. And he still doesn't make it into the starting eleven half the time.

Again, others might be fine with the academy becoming a meat factory but that's never the way I've seen it.

We used to produce quality players and then lose them because we were shit. Now we produce quality players and lose them because it's easier in the short term to throw money at a hole in the squad.

How many of these quality youth players have gone onto make us regret selling them? We have prepared them well for a career in the top leagues, most will carve out a great career and make a lot of money and we make a decent profit meaning we never have to think about selling first team players to balance the books.

There is a price to pay for having a world class team and that is only Academy players that have real potential to be world class will stand a chance of staying with us.

I go and watch our youth teams a lot and enjoy it and would love the first team to be mainly made up of them but that's just not reality.

 

[Asa's left peg]

That is a very good bit of perspective.

Apart from Macalister who was £55m, obviously ;)

You know better than that. His fee isn't counted as it was paid for with some of the Coutinho money.

 

[SWP's back]

But I don't think there is a proper chance of anyone breaking through to any meaningful level.

Foden is held up as the standard that other academy players have to be at in order to make it but that's unrealistic. The majority of the signings we make aren't his level anyway. And he still doesn't make it into the starting eleven half the time.

Again, others might be fine with the academy becoming a meat factory but that's never the way I've seen it.

We used to produce quality players and then lose them because we were shit. Now we produce quality players and lose them because it's easier in the short term to throw money at a hole in the squad.

We lose players because they’re not at the quality of treble winners to displace the players we have. They then tend to be far more impatient than players were at the time of the ‘class of ‘92’ wankers were back then.

Lavia, Sancho and Palmer would all still be here (nor not leaving) if they had more patience.

I’d prefer academy graduates at the club playing for the first team rather than people bought in, but I would rather be in the situation we are now than being sat in perennial 7-9th and having our best players bought from us because they wanted to win things.

The cream always rises and no one that’s left us has gone on to do better away from the club.

Also notice you didn’t mention Lewis who came out of nowhere and because a key member of the squad last season.

 

[supercity88]

I suspect we lose most of them as they want to play regularly now (along with the financial rewards that brings) and they aren't willing to be patient and compete for their places as Foden has done. I have no doubt that we would have been happy to keep Palmer and he would have got some game time but not as much, or as quickly, as he wanted.

We haven't had many who are good enough either, proven by how they've performed at other clubs they've moved to. Sancho initially looked like one we would regret selling, but he's nosedived. The rest have all brought in good fees and not really done that much. Lavia is the one I'm interested to see, but moving to Chelsea means I would expect he only plays a bit part role and possibly stalls as well.

I don't get why Palmer would go to Chelsea, it doesn't make sense to me. Money talks though, he's probably thinking he can play as often or more but get paid a lot more either way. I really think he could have had a career at City if he allowed himself this season. There's a spot for him if he wanted it, and then the rewards would come.