Chelsea almost missed out on signing Cole Palmer because they prioritized two other transfers initially.
Chelsea nearly missed signing Cole Palmer last summer as they initially prioritized two other transfers, reports say. Palmer, who joined from Manchester City for £42.5m, had a standout debut season at Stamford Bridge with 22 goals and 11 assists in 34 Premier League games, breaking a record held by Eden Hazard.
ESPN revealed that Palmer was signed only after Chelsea’s attempts to acquire Michael Olise and Mohammed Kudus fell through. Olise opted to stay at Crystal Palace, signing a new deal, while Kudus joined West Ham from Ajax.
Palmer was not in Chelsea’s plans until the final days of the transfer window, with Brighton and West Ham showing interest and believing £25m would secure his transfer. Chelsea then made a late successful bid of £42.5m. Despite Pep Guardiola’s pleas for Palmer to stay at City, the player was determined to move to Chelsea. Guardiola mentioned Palmer had been asking to leave for two seasons, and although Guardiola wanted him to stay, he respected Palmer’s decision.