‘I was rotting on the bench at Man City

In the summer of 2023, Cole Palmer was widely considered to be a talented Manchester City academy graduate, but the jury was out on whether he had what it took to be a part of their first team.

Fast forward a year-and-a-half and the attacking midfielder now sports the blue of Chelsea – and finds himself on the 2024 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist. So how exactly did Palmer manage to swap warming the bench at the Etihad Stadium for being nominated for the greatest individual honour in the beautiful game?

Stuck on the Bench at Man City

Palmer struggled to break into Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup

At the end of the 2022/23 season, Palmer had played less than 400 Premier League minutes for City. In all competitions that season, he managed just 850 minutes – less than 10 full games’ worth.

The 6 foot 2 midfielder was included on the bench without making it onto the pitch a whopping 75 times in his time at City and left the club having made a mere 13 starts, with his other 28 appearances coming as a substitute. His involvement in his final season at the club was a marked increase on what had come before, but it was clearly an insufficient use of such a talented player.

While Pep Guardiola opted for patience, Palmer was eager to get his senior career going.

Swapping the Cityzens for Chelsea

Palmer took bold decision to leave title-winning boyhood club

Given his exploits since arriving at Chelsea, it is no wonder that Palmer – even at the tender age of 21 – felt dissatisfied with his lack of opportunities. As tough as the competition ahead of him was, it is clear that Palmer had what it took to mix it with the very best.

In fact, according to City boss Pep Guardiola, Palmer had been keen to leave in search of regular first-team football for two years before his eventual departure. While some may question why Palmer, even with limited game-time, would want to leave a club regularly winning the Premier League title, his determination to leave also highlights his ambition and belief in his own abilities.

Guardiola’s Regret over Losing Palmer

City boss now wishes he had given Palmer more game time

Guardiola has since expressed regret at not giving Palmer the game time he deserved – and the game time necessary to convince the attacking midfielder that his future lay at the Etihad Stadium, rather than elsewhere.

It’s difficult to blame Guardiola considering all the players he named boasted superior experience to Palmer and had delivered for him on so many occasions before.

But the mention of Foden is particularly interesting. Would there even be room for both players in the same side? Foden and Palmer both like to occupy the No.10 role and perhaps tellingly, there were only three occasions in the Premier League in which Guardiola started both of them – a 3-0 win over Everton, a 1-0 win over Chelsea and a 1-0 defeat to Brentford. Palmer, though, was always played out wide.

Ballon d’Or form at Chelsea

Breakout season and future England role

Palmer’s form since arriving at Chelsea has been nothing short of breathtaking. His debut season for the Blues saw him rack up a whopping 22 goals and 11 assists in 33 Premier League games. Only Erling Haaland scored more and only Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins notched more assists.

He has carried that spectacular form into this season, becoming the first player to ever net four goals in one half of Premier League football – and doing so in the space of 20 minutes – in a 4-2 win against Brighton in September.

That could have a knock-on effect on Palmer’s England prospects – he was largely restricted to a substitute role during Euro 2024 but scored off the bench in the final and will hope to establish himself as an undisputed starter by the time the Three Lions take to the field for the 2026 World Cup.

Whoever’s in charge of the England team at that point, though, will need to find a solution to the Foden-Palmer starting XI conundrum that Guardiola always seemed to skirt around.

Statistics via Transfermarkt.