By signing Cole Palmer to Chelsea on the final day of the summer transfer window for at least £40 million (approximately $50.7 million), City manager Josep Guardiola has announced that he is a “star player” with “immense quality”. I knew that I would allow him to leave the club.
The wider world might think differently.
After all, this was a 21-year-old winger who had played less than 1,500 first-team minutes for his hometown club. He was someone that then-manager Guardiola trusted wholeheartedly to only play in domestic cup matches. He is a player whose transfer fee appears to have exceeded the odds, which is not surprising given that his buyer was Chelsea and its big-spending American owners.
As it turns out, Palmer may go down as one of the best players in recent memory, and certainly one of the best players of Chelsea's new era.
With a hat-trick against Manchester United two weeks ago and four goals against Everton on Monday, Palmer is tied for the Premier League's top scorer with 20 goals. This is the same number as City's Erling Haaland, who until recently was their top scorer. His goal-scoring talent transcended generations.
Palmer's contention for the Golden Boot – he also needs to play one more game than Haaland – means he has not featured in Chelsea's first three games and will not score his first league goal until October. It hurts even more when you think about the fact that he wasn't there.
Since then, Palmer appears to be showing off her trademark celebratory pose every week, with her arms crossed in the “shiver” pose. His nickname was 'Cold Palmer', reflecting his calmness on the ball and in front of goal.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “We don't judge players when signing them, but we were hoping for the best outcome.'' “It's not a surprise to us. He's a player who had the ability to score goals even when he was playing for Manchester City. He has the ability to score easily.
“The way he's adapted, played and performed has been great. He's been acting like a scorer, and I think that's great for the team and for him.”
Palmer plays as a number 10 or as a right winger who cuts inside with his favored left foot. He is languid but dexterous, loves the “nutmeg” where a player kicks the ball into an opponent's leg and then runs around to collect it, and has proven to be a relentless finisher.
He has scored some of the best goals in the Premier League this season. His solo attacks at Luton included goals such as rolling the ball around the goalkeeper with the sole of his boot and stopping to watch defenders slide past him before scoring home. The first game against Everton was also beautiful. He has made 9 of 9 from the penalty spot this season.
No wonder he caught the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate. Southgate included Palmer in his latest squad, including second-half cameos against Malta and North Macedonia in November. Palmer looks certain to be in the squad for the upcoming European Championship, but he is unlikely to be in the starting XI.
Before doing so, Palmer was aware that it would be realistically impossible for him to surpass the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish during Guardiola's time in charge, so he has taken regular action. Will he return to City, where he spent 15 years before requesting to leave in order to win? What is the pecking order for attacking midfielders?
He has already scored the equalizer from the penalty spot in stoppage time in a thrilling 4-4 win against his former club in the league in November. He has already scored this season at Wembley Stadium, the venue for the semi-final. He scored against City and Arsenal in the Community Shield.
Guardiola will know City's hopes of keeping their Premier League and FA Cup ambitions alive depend on Palmer keeping quiet.
“The decision to come to Chelsea was a big one for me and my family, but I just wanted to play football,” Palmer said. “I'm grateful to Chelsea for the opportunity and I'm excited.”
In the other semi-final, second-tier side Coventry look to pull off another upset by defeating Manchester United, but the team and manager will be under huge pressure on Sunday with their season essentially on the line. United are languishing in seventh place in the league, with inconsistent performances and a final place that could mean they won't even qualify for Europe. Winning the FA Cup would qualify them for the Europa League, but if they reach the final on their current form, United will be bottom of the table. With speculation rife over the departure of United manager Erik ten Hag, a loss to Coventry, managed by former United striker Mark Robins, would surely be the final straw.
Steve Douglas is https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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