Cole Palmer

Not sure how anyone could have noticed he was ready to step up based on anything he'd done at City, to be honest. You had a few fans arguing to keep him but the overwhelming majority saw Palmer to Chelsea as good business. Anyone who tries to pretend they felt otherwise in 2023 (apart from a pretty small minority) is having you on.

And that's because, at the time, it was good business.

Very little of what Palmer did in a City shirt justified him potentially taking minutes away from Bernardo, Foden, De Bruyne, and Grealish at the time, especially after the treble-winning season. And sadly for Palmer that's how Pep saw it too. For one reason or another, he unfortunately didn't nail down a position or kick on as expected.

He started 13 matches (of 41 total apps) across three seasons under Pep and managed a grand total of six goals in that time. He was moved around the pitch - from left to right, up front, midfield - and other than showing a couple of nice touches never really looked like he was going to reach the heights with City that Foden had.

Then Chelsea came knocking with £45m. City don't usually like sending lads out on loan because, like Foden did, Pep would rather they were here learning how to improve their game while training with the best. So then Palmer had to make the choice: stay and fight for a part in Pep's system, or take a step down to play more often.

He chose the latter and it's worked out really well for him.

I don't know why City get it in the neck from our own fans over this. While here, Palmer hadn't shown any sign of reaching the heights he's reached at Chelsea. He's only been able to develop so much so quickly because he's playing for a team where everything runs through him and all of his teammates look to him like we do De Bruyne.

Palmer's succeeding so much at Chelsea because he's got a role that was literally impossible for him to have at City when he made he decision to leave. Pep was never going to willingly move De Bruyne out of the team so that a 20-year-old with 13 professional starts could play week in week out. That just wasn't going to happen.

And that's without getting into the fact that the defenses Palmer faces as a Chelsea player are completely different to what he'd face at City. It's a fact that the opposition sits deeper against City, puts more men behind the ball against City, and provides less and less space for City's attackers compared to whenever they play Chelsea.

As has been said a million times in this thread, Palmer had potential but he wasn't in a position to reach it at City. Pep told him he could either stay and fight or go elsewhere. Palmer took a big risk in leaving but it's paid off for him. That doesn't suggest for even a second that Palmer would currently be slamming in goals for us.

By the point he left, Palmer had shown about as much potential as Eric Garcia, or Brahim Diaz, or Aleix Garcia, or even Jadon Sancho, to be honest. Every youngster progresses differently, but it was entirely reasonable of City to think £45m for a youth player of that quality (roughly) was a good fee and a solid bit of business.
Disagree completely, you can tell a rare player by the way he addresses the ball, receives with confidence, head up 'scouting' options - compare to Lewis' more frantic, hurried approach...the real player was always Palmer, balance first touch..etc game play would have come but we lost a rare talent lets be honest - anyone who has played can see his weight distribution when receiving the ball on half turn is impeccable, he can go both ways within half a yard of receiving it...rare ..very rare
 
Question. If he were still here this season who would get the most minutes in the middle, which is what he wanted.
Palmer, Gundog, Kev, Phil, Bernado?
PS Delap bagged a couple this week!
Bernado, closely followed by Palmer - rest Kev for just 20 key games Gundog...playing like his first season and half with us (one player who took a long time to make his mark).
 
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Style not suited to Pep.Did not work hard enough.Everything goes through CP at Chelsea.City team comes first 2nd and third .And lastly once he showed his ass he was history...We move on
 
Just catching up with MOTD.

I know he’s young, but how can anyone who is involved in football, be it fan or pro, not know who Dennis Bergkamp is?!
 
Disagree completely, you can tell a rare player by the way he addresses the ball, receives with confidence, head up 'scouting' options - compare to Lewis' more frantic, hurried approach...the real player was always Palmer, balance first touch..etc game play would have come but we lost a rare talent lets be honest - anyone who has played can see his weight distribution when receiving the ball on half turn is impeccable, he can go both ways within half a yard of receiving it...rare ..very rare
Yes indeed. As others have said I,m not convinced would have been a success in a pep team.But what I am impressed with is that ball control. Just watching a tall adroit player drop a shoulder and send a full back the wrong way the ball tied to his feet is wonderful to watch.

When he left Rodri on his knees in central midfield at Wembley, I just thought Wow,which I would have done if any oppennent had done knowing how superb a player our man is. As a low level footballer I'd hate to have to mark him it's a different thing entirely .....I am just impressed with players who score goals, lots of them with seemingly little effort, a mark of true class.often just one deft touch.
I try not go harp on about the City aspect, that's gone now,,but great footballing displays, imo, should always be acknowledged which I hope is what this thread becomes, as it will always a nod to the quality of our own youth development team.


In nearly 50 years of being a footy fan, it's rare I read about someone scoring 4 goals in a match . For a player to do it again, is unbelievable and worthy of praise. The Cole Palmer Thread is where that praise goes,imo.

And can I just say, I scored 4 goals in a match the last time I turned out 2 weeks back, and I'm still buzzing ,.....if the FoC club can celebrate at a low level, then I'm entitled to wax lyrical about a player doing it in the so called toughest best league in the world.

I love watching great players play the game.for I'll never be one of them.;)
 

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