Everything that can be written about Cole Palmer’s exit from Manchester City has been. There is little point going over the reasons why he joined Chelsea, or asking whether City should regret it.
Palmer backed his own ability and justified his gamble with a stellar year at Chelsea. He earned a breakthrough into the England squad that would simply not have come had he stayed at City, and deserves his successes.
City will view him as an undoubted success story from their academy and are £42m richer. The more cases like Palmer, the more City can charge for other youngsters – Liam Delap the latest to leave for £20m.
Palmer could now play in an international tournament final, 12 months after his starring role in the U21 Euros success for England. It is a remarkable rise for a player who was fifth-choice on the wing when at City.
England might not even be in the final without Palmer. It was his ball through to Ollie Watkins that sent the nation into delirium both in Dortmund and back home. Palmer has been a bright spark off the bench in England’s early struggles for rhythm, and now has a winning semi-final assist in the last minute to his collection.
If Palmer takes it all in his stride, it’s safe to say there are coaches at City who are taken aback at how meteoric his rise has been since departing.
“I don’t think I could have sat here in August and said he would be the top goalscorer,” said former under-18 coach Ben Wilkinson in April, when Palmer was level with Erling Haaland at the top of the scoring charts in the Premier League.
“On the other hand, you did know how good he could be. The last year or so he played for the under-21s, I used to think it was like having a cheat code on the Playstation. He was so far above the level it was untrue. You always hoped he could transfer it onto a first team environment.”
So could Palmer be the man for the big occasion in Berlin on Sunday if given the nod to come on from Southgate? He’s already got goals in the FA Youth Cup final, Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, U21 Euros final, and countless big moments for Chelsea.
“When you get to know him he has got that big stage mentality,” Wilkinson said. “We’ve seen it numerous times this year and you probably wouldn’t expect it when you look at him, but he’s not fazed by anything.
“He could go and play in a Champions League final and still be the guy who makes the difference. He wants the big games and he wants the ball all the time. He doesn’t care if it’s a penalty or free kick.
“The thing Cole has to back it up is that his technical ability is unbelievably high and that shouldn’t be underestimated. His finishing in and around the box, one he gets on that left foot and the goal opens up – you’ve seen it enough times to know there’s a good chance this ends up in the back of the net.
“Of course [we are all] surprised, but also it’s nice to see the success he’s had because it reaffirms your opinion that he was as good as we thought.”
If Palmer becomes a European Champion on Sunday, he will have earned the right through his form at Chelsea. But all of his talent, confidence and ‘big game’ ability will have been made at City.