Cole Palmer has looked a shadow of his best self in recent times. For his first 18 months at Chelsea, the Englishman was unplayable. He was truly one of the best on the planet. Arguably the very best in the Premier League. He single-handedly won games and dragged the team out of bad situations. It looked like the Blues had found their new face.
Unfortunately, something has been off over the past 18 months or so. Palmer’s form has dipped considerably. The performance in the Club World Cup final was phenomenal. But that was a rare highlight amid months of weak performances.
Injury problems have continued to follow him for a while as well. There have been rumours about Palmer being unhappy at Chelsea. And there has also been speculation regarding a potential move away from the club.
There has been talk about a move back to Manchester and a switch to Man Utd, the club he grew up supporting despite coming through the City Academy. Fans have been left worried, especially as Chelsea continue to struggle on the pitch. Under these circumstances, keeping top players will be difficult. Now, Palmer has broken his silence on where he stands.
Cole Palmer finally breaks silence on the Manchester United transfer links
While it would make sense if Palmer did try to engineer a move away from Chelsea, it does not look like he has any such aim. On the contrary, he seems to be looking forward to the signings that the Blues could make in the summer and has suggested Reece James would not have signed an extension if he did not know about the club’s transfer plans.
In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Palmer said about rumours of him pining for life in the north-west and a move to Man United:
“When I see it I just laugh. Obviously Manchester is my home. All my family are there, but I don’t miss it. Maybe I’ll miss it if I don’t go for three months or something. But then when I get home I think there’s nothing there for me anyway.
“I’ve got no plans to move from Chelsea. We’ve still got a lot to play for. We’ve got the FA Cup semi-final [against Leeds] and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need. We spoke to the owners and they’re sure of the players that are gonna do it. Reece won’t sign a six-year contract if he’s not spoken to the owners and the directors.
“Me and Reece spoke a lot. About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn’t sign a new contract if he didn’t know what was going on.”
Palmer does have a contract with Chelsea until 2033. And while someone like Enzo Fernandez might be eyeing the exit door already, it looks like the Englishman has a bit more patience with this BlueCo project.
Cole Palmer’s patience needs to be rewarded with quality signings
Behdad Egbahli himself came out recently and suggested that Chelsea will aim for more ready-made players in the summer. It remains to be seen whether the club are able to deliver.
Of course, it will also be interesting to see what constitutes a ‘ready-made’ player in their eyes. The likes of Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto had some experience in the Premier League before being signed. That being said, most would not consider them to be top-of-the-pile talents in English football at the time.
Chelsea need to be aiming for a bit higher when it comes to their next signings. They need to bring in players who will come in and immediately make a positive impact on the starting XI. Those who won’t need time to adjust or develop. For the past four years, the need for experience and proven quality in this squad has become abundantly clear. Hopefully, BlueCo are able to deliver.
