FOOTBALL LONDON
Cole Palmer has opened up on his move to Chelsea from Manchester City and explained why he decided to leave the treble-winners despite being used by Pep Guardiola in pre-season.
The 21-year-old completed his £42.5million move from City after spending his whole career at City. Palmer signed a seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge as the Blues continued their spending spree under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Palmer had already scored two goals for City prior to his move to west London. He netted a superb strike in the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal before scoring in the UEFA Super Cup win over Sevilla.
The England Under-21s international made his debut for the Blues in the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest prior to the international break last time out. He’s also in line to start his first game for the club in the upcoming clash at Bournemouth this weekend.
Palmer’s move to Chelsea came as a surprise to many following Riyad Mahrez’s exit to Saudi Arabia. However, the youngster has explained his reasoning behind the decision to leave City.
“I’m not saying I shield away from the competitions (at City) because I’ve never done that,” he said while on international duty. “I’d been there (around the first team) for a few years and wanted more of an opportunity to play – in my position and to have more of an impact.