Cole Palmer has been linked with a move back to his native Manchester from Chelsea in the summer transfer window and ex-Blues winger Pat Nevin has given his take on the prospect
Cole Palmer has been linked with a move from Chelsea to Manchester United(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Chelsea’s failure to hold on at Stamford Bridge on Saturday not only saw them drop two points to a Burnley team that is destined for an immediate return to the Championship.
It also ramped up the pressure on Liam Rosenior’s boys in blue as the race for next season’s Champions League qualification gathers pace. Manchester United’s win over Everton on Monday allowed them to cash in on Chelsea’s slip-up by moving three points above them in fourth while Liverpool are breathing down their necks, only trailing Chelsea on goal difference.
The prospect of not offering Champions League football creates an inevitable debate about attracting players or holding onto the best ones a club already has.
And in Chelsea’s case, that debate will be around Cole Palmer, a game-changer and fan favourite but at a club whose business model now is to look to turn a profit on their best players, according to former Stamford Bridge star, Pat Nevin.
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With Manchester United reported to have shown some interest already in Palmer, Nevin told BestBettingSites: “I don’t think it comes down to whether Chelsea would sell. They would.
“Would Manchester United want him? They probably would. Would the money be difficult? No, they would probably sort that out. Chelsea are a trading club. They bought Cole Palmer and they could sell him at a massive profit, and that’s what they do.
“The Chelsea fans would be gutted because they adore him, rightly so. There have been concerns about his consistency and his injuries. It just comes down to one thing. It doesn’t come down to the clubs, it comes down to him. Does Cole Palmer fancy playing for Manchester United? That’s it. Nobody knows except Cole Palmer.
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Cole Palmer has been in good form recently for Chelsea(Image: Darren Walsh, Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
“I’ve heard hints that he was a United fan as a kid. That’s a draw. When you look at what United are doing just now and how they’re playing, and the possibility that you might actually have stability at Manchester United, that becomes a temptation.
“With Michael Carrick, it just feels like a different place. I’ve been at Old Trafford a lot of times over the last few years and it’s been a hard place to watch football sometimes. The feeling hasn’t even been ugly, just flat.
“Worse than anger is people being fed up, and you never want to see that at Manchester United because of the club it is, the history it has and the size it is. The Premier League needs a big Manchester United.
“I hope Michael Carrick gets the job long term. I think the group that’s in just now has already shown enough that they can lift the club. I hope they get the job for at least the next year after this season, whatever happens between now and the end of the season. I’d give them that. Would that be enough to tempt Cole? I wouldn’t be shocked.”
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