‘Don’t go there’ – Chelsea star reveals he was urged not to join club | Football

The 22-year-old spent over a decade at Man City after joining the club’s academy at the age of eight but only made 41 appearances for the first-team before being sold to Chelsea.

Palmer was one of a number of new faces to arrive at Stamford Bridge but, unlike several of his team-mates, has enjoyed a dream start to his Chelsea career, scoring 25 goals in his first season at the club.

That form led ex-England boss Gareth Southgate to select Palmer in his squad for Euro 2024 and the Chelsea star impressed in his brief appearances out in Germany, including scoring in the final before Spain went on to lift the trophy.

Palmer’s remarkable form shows no sign of slowing down – he became the first player in Premier League history to score four first-half goals last month and has already notched up five assists this season.

Chelsea rewarded Palmer for his superb form with a new contract that will hypothetically keep him at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2033.

If that materialises Palmer will likely establish himself as one of the club’s greatest ever players – but things could have turned out very differently had he listened to voices urging him not to join Chelsea.

‘Yeah, it was a gamble because I didn’t know what I was going into, I didn’t know the club I was going into.

‘I had people telling me, don’t go here, don’t go there. But I just decided what I wanted to do myself and did it.

‘To move clubs, it changed my life. In many different ways, leaving Manchester where I grew up, getting away from people I didn’t need to be around. And the football as well obviously.’

Last month, Manchester United and England legend Gary Neville said he had been ‘completely shocked’ by Palmer’s transformation at Stamford Bridge.

Asked if he rates Palmer as the best player in the Premier League, Neville told NBC Sports: ‘He’s not far off! I have to say that I was surprised last season.

‘I remember when Mohamed Salah scored those goals all those years ago and I thought, “He won’t repeat that in the second season, he won’t repeat that in the third season”, and Cole Palmer is just going and completely shocking me in terms of what he’s delivering.

‘I can’t believe the level that he’s getting to and to think that he wasn’t playing for England in the European Championship in the summer now just seems absolutely ridiculous.

‘And it seems even more ridiculous that Manchester City, who have been unbelievable in the transfer market, have let one of their own go.’

Palmer’s performances have helped Chelsea make a promising start to the 2024-25 season under new manager Enzo Maresca.

The Blues are fourth in the Premier League with four wins from seven games ahead of Sunday’s clash against early leaders Liverpool.

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