Pep Guardiola is the coach of Manchester CityDarren Staples/AFP
Published 04/19/2024 22:55 | Updated 04/19/2024 22:56
England – At the press conference this Friday, 19th, Pep Guardiola explained the transfer of Cole Palmer from Manchester City to Chelsea. According to the Spaniard, the midfielder wanted more minutes and asked for two seasons to be traded. The coach admitted that he could have used the athlete more and highlighted that he did not want him to leave.
“I know he’s an exceptional player. We knew that when he was here. And we know how he’s getting a lot of minutes. I’ve said it many times, I didn’t give him the minutes that maybe he deserved. He wanted the minutes and now he has them at Chelsea. So, I completely understand, I’m happy for him, because he’s a lovely guy, a shy guy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been here,” said Guardiola.
“He’s playing well, he’s an incredible threat. He’s playing fantastic. So what can I say? The decision was made for a number of reasons. He was asking for two seasons to leave. For two seasons. I said, ‘No. stay, stay.’ In the end (he said), ‘No, I want to leave.’ What can we do? I want to leave’. After two seasons, what can I say?”, he concluded.
Cole Palmer is just 21 years old and is a youth player at Manchester City. This season, he has already scored 23 goals and 13 assists in 38 games for Chelsea.
He is also, alongside Haaland, the Premier League’s top scorer. The two have already scored 20 goals in this edition of the English Championship.
Other side
The statement is in line with what Cole Palmer said on the topic. In an interview with SkySports, published on January 11, the player stated that he would like to be loaned for a year and then return to Manchester City. According to him, the club’s position was to stay or be sold. So, when Chelsea’s proposal came up, he opted for the transfer.
“My goal was to never leave City. That wasn’t my intention. I wanted to go out on loan for a year, come back and be ready for the first team. But they said I couldn’t go on loan, stay or you would be sold,” said Cole Palmer.
“Then Chelsea called me. I said I wanted to go to Chelsea and I’m very happy to be here. I’m very happy to have made the decision to come here,” he concluded.
Reencounter
Cole Palmer will reunite with Guardiola and his former team this weekend. This is because Manchester City and Chelsea will face off this Saturday, starting at 1:15 pm, in the FA Cup semi-final.
