Cole Palmer may be the one that got away but his sale was best for all parties

Manchester City’s sale of Cole Palmer has been a topic of much discussion since the 4-all draw between City and Chelsea. Palmer has shone for Chelsea with more first-team opportunities this season. He was desperate for more first-team minutes and his departure from City has allowed him to get his wish.

Speaking before Manchester City’s draw with Chelsea Pep Guardiola explained that he didn’t want Palmer to leave. He said: “I said to him “Riyad Mahrez is leaving, you are going to get a chance here”. ‘He said “No, I’m not going to play here, I want to leave” so I said, “OK, leave!”

With Palmer keen to leave and Manchester City and Pep Guardiola not keen to keep players who don’t want to stay at the club his sale to Chelsea happened relatively quickly. His move was announced on deadline day of the summer transfer window.

The European champions picked up a sizable fee for their academy product. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported the fee to be £40 million plus add-ons for the England youth international.

While Cole Palmer has blossomed at Chelsea Manchester City has also benefitted from Palmer’s move. Besides receiving a hefty fee for the player Jeremy Doku’s arrival and performances for Pep Guardiola’s side have seen City quickly move on from Palmer. Doku would have likely been competing for minutes with Palmer and has added something different to the Manchester City set-up.

Cole Palmer may be the player who got away from Manchester City, but his summer sale has benefited all parties. Palmer got the first team chances he craved, and Manchester City have moved on with Jeremy Doku shining since his arrival. The sale of Palmer was best for all concerned.