Cole Palmer has revealed he did not have time to personally say goodbye to his former Manchester City teammates before his move to Chelsea in 2023.
The 22-year-old left the Etihad Stadium for Stamford Bridge last summer in a transfer worth an initial £40 million, after a 13-year spell with the eight-time Premier League champions.
Palmer’s impact with the Blues exceeded expectations as he scored 22 goals and also provided 11 assists in his first league match with the club.
Having already made a bright start to this season with 12 goals in all competitions, the England midfielder has now revealed the inside story of his move to West London.
Memories of GQPalmer said: “I remember training at City on a Wednesday afternoon and the news was ‘they’re trying to agree a fee’.
Cole Palmer has revealed the inside story of his move from Man City to Chelsea last summer
He didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to his teammates in person and so sent a blunt text message
Palmer appears together with Kobbie Mainoo on the most recent cover of the famous GQ magazine
‘Every time the ball went out, I asked the kitman or the doctor if they had already agreed on the fee. So I didn’t really get a chance to see a lot of people and say I’m going. I just had to pack my things.
“That’s the mercenary reality of top-level football: no goodbyes, except what can be said via text message. I messaged the group chat and said, “Thanks and everything. I’m gone.’ That’s it.’
Despite his minute-long struggles in Manchester, Palmer was not desperate to leave the club that had nurtured him in their academy.
In fact, he has now admitted that he had to be convinced about the Chelsea project by his agent, who was in the room during the interview with GQ.
‘I wasn’t even planning on going [to] Chelsea,” Palmer continued. ‘I’m convinced.’
“I just knew I wasn’t going to play as much as I wanted to. Even when I went to England [camps] in the younger age groups you had players who played in the competition every week.
‘You look around and think: I can play in the league. If you don’t play, it’s annoying.’
The faith in his agent paid off when Palmer made his England debut the same season, scoring in the Three Lions’ defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final four months ago.
Palmer was revolutionary at Chelsea, scoring 22 Premier League goals last season
The Blues midfielder went on to win the PFA Young Player of the Year for the 2023-2024 season
Palmer scored England’s only goal in the defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final four months ago
Palmer’s impressive performances in what was a breakthrough year for him would earn him PFA Young Player of the Year.
The taste for trophies, even if it was on a personal level, only made him want to achieve more in the game.
Palmer added: “The feeling you get when you win… you just want it again. You don’t want to stop and never have that feeling again.’