Ex-England striker Teddy Sheringham says Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be “pleased” that former player Cole Palmer has flourished since his move to Chelsea.
Many pundits and fans have argued that selling the 22-year-old last summer was an error of judgement from Guardiola but, when asked by Prime Casino whether that was in fact the case, Sheringham replied:
“Did Pep Guardiola make a mistake in selling Cole Palmer? That’s difficult to say. I love Palmer as a player; I think he’s fantastic. Did his loss impact City last season? It didn’t, and Pep has always let players go if he can’t give them the game time they desire, and I think that was the case with Palmer.”
“He sold Jesus, Sterling, Zinchenko, all players that delivered for him when they were at City, but he saw little bits of their game that he didn’t like. He was happy to move them on, but with Palmer it was a bit different. He wanted to play every week and Pep couldn’t give him those assurances. If you asked Pep, I’m sure he would be pleased to see Palmer doing well.”
“I love Cole Palmer’s playing style and his confidence. He’s a brilliant player who has grasped his opportunity to demonstrate how good he is in the Premier League.”
Guardiola wants happy players to work with
The City boss has said on more than one occasion that success is based on having a harmonious squad. The more players that are unhappy, the less likely you are to win things.
Guardiola also thinks that there is more chance of there being disharmony with a larger squad, so that is why he prefers a smaller tight-knit group. Cole Palmer was keen to play games and his manager was perfectly happy to sell him so he could fulfil that goal. That also happened with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko (who both joined Arsenal).
If Palmer had remained at the Etihad, he may well have established himself as a regular starter eventually but not right away. As it is, he has shown everyone what he is truly capable of at Chelsea.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here