‘Surprise’: Darren Bent left shocked when Chelsea signed 21-year-old player this summer

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Darren Bent has admitted he was shocked when Manchester City sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea in the summer.

Cole Palmer, who’s still only 21, made a permanent move this season from the Etihad Stadium to Stamford Bridge.

The left-footed attacker played 41 first-team games for Man City after breaking out of their academy, but he’s moved on to try play regularly at senior level.

In fairness, the move is already paying off after working his way into Mauricio Pochettino’s starting line-up at Chelsea.

TalkSPORT pundit Darren Bent has explained his surprise about Palmer’s exit from Manchester. He’s very optimistic when it comes to the youngster’s ability and potential.

“He’s gone to Chelsea, and it was a surprise to me that Man City let him go, but he’s playing really well for Chelsea right now. I expect him to be a top quality player, certainly by [Euro] 2028. I expect him to have a home at Chelsea, playing week in, week out,” Bent told talkSPORT.

Palmer’s settling pretty quickly into life at Stamford Bridge, with his spot in the Chelsea XI looking secure while he’s playing like this.

The exciting playmaker is effective as a right-winger or No 10. He’s just the type of player you want on the ball as much as possible to create chances and score goals.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino recently explained he’s using Palmer in a fluid position. It shows just how much trust and faith he’s got in the player’s individual ability.