“I understand completely” — Pep Guardiola reveals sole reason behind Cole Palmer sale

Pep Guardiola has revealed the reason he allowed Manchester City to sell Cole Palmer to Chelsea.

Palmer was viewed as one of the gems of the Manchester City academy when he broke into the City first team as a teenager, most famously making a name for himself by featuring for the senior team on the same day he scored a hat-trick in a youth game.

But his foray into the Pep Guardiola’s team did not go as planned, as Palmer reportedly grew frustrated with his lack of playing time in the final months of his Manchester City career. The former academy star made just one Premier League start in the 2022/23 campaign.

As a result, the talented forward was eventually sold to Chelsea for a stunning £45 million, where he has now made a name for himself as one of the brightest young stars in the Premier League.

Speaking ahead of Palmer’s return to the Etihad with the London club, City boss Pep Guardiola revealed why he sanctioned Palmer’s move away from the club in the summer of 2023.

“For a young player, always we want them to stay, but it’s normal,” Guardiola said. “After two or three seasons he wanted more minutes than he got last season, and I understand completely.

“When a player gets that minutes that I didn’t give to him for the reasons that everybody knows, it’s just for the other players.

“But we know the quality that he has and the impact that he has shown so far is enormous. It’s not just goals, assists, it’s the quality and we knew it and he’s an incredible threat for Chelsea.”

Palmer has since become a key cog in Mauricio Pochettino’s side, scoring 10 goals in 20 Premier League games so far for the struggling Londoners.

Despite their struggles, a late Palmer penalty saw Chelsea snatch a stunning 4-4 draw against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge earlier in the campaign.

City will be hoping for a better result this time around as they find themselves in the thick of the Premier League title race. The Blues sit just two points behind league leaders Liverpool, but they do have a game in hand over Jurgen Klopp’s side.