Chelsea vs Manchester City will be the biggest game in Cole Palmer’s career so far.
That is according to former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha.
Chelsea take on City this afternoon and Onuoha, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live (12/11/2023 at 12:18), thinks Cole Palmer will want to prove a point against his old side.
Onuoha has also claimed that the 21-year-old attacker is actually a Manchester United fan despite coming through the ranks at City.
He left the Premier League champions for Chelsea on deadline day in a £40m deal, as reported by Sky Sports.
Massive game for Cole Palmer
Onuoha thinks this afternoon is a big one for Palmer and that the Englishman will be desperate to end it on the winning side.
Discussing Palmer on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “I’ve got to address this. When Cole Palmer was at City, I thought he was good but I was never fighting for him to be starting. And now I see Cole Palmer at Chelsea, and it makes perfect sense that he’s starting because he’s like the guy, do you know what I mean?
“I just think Cole Palmer will be desperate to do something this game against City, against his former teammates and his former manager who let him go. And, this is the insight that I know, he’s a United fan as well! You see him last week, I think he was tapping the badge and all sorts. But this game will be the biggest game that he’s had in his career to this point.”
All eyes on Cole Palmer
There is certainly going to be a lot of focus on Palmer when he steps on to the Stamford Bridge pitch later today.
The England U21 international is playing against his former club for the first time, but he is also arguably Chelsea’s best player at this moment.
He was on the scoresheet again in their 4-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday and also registered an assist.
However, that goal and his other two for the Blues so far have all been penalties. He will want to score from open play soon and silence any doubters that he has, and there is not a better time than now to do that.
Still, from what Palmer has shown in general, Chelsea have looked to acquire a really talented player, with his manager Mauricio Pochettino even going as far as to compare him to Argentina legend Angel Di Maria.
If Palmer can become half the footballer that Di Maria is, then he would have done well.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
