‘We didn’t expect this’ – Man City’s controversial transfer that put England in Euro 2024 final

All that can be written about Cole Palmer’s exit from Manchester City was. There’s no point going over his reasons for joining Chelsea or asking if City should regret it.

Palmer backed up his own ability and justified his gamble with a stellar year at Chelsea. He earned a breakthrough in the England team that simply wouldn’t have come had he stayed at City and deserves his successes.

City will see him as an undoubted success story from their academy and is £42m richer. The more cases like Palmer, the more City can charge for other youngsters – Liam Delap most recently left for £20m.

ALSO READ: ‘Not letting anyone else take me down’ – I thought my England and Man City careers were over, now I’m irresolvable to both

ALSO READ: ‘If anyone has a problem, it’s him’ – the player who lost his battle with Pep at City but won a bigger war

Palmer could now play in an international tournament final 12 months after his starring role in England’s Euro U21 success. It’s remarkable growth for a player who was fifth choice on the wing when he was at City.

England might not even be in the final without Palmer. It was his ball to Ollie Watkins that sent the nation into a frenzy both at Dortmund and at home. Palmer was a bright spark off the bench in England’s early struggles for pace and now has a last-minute semi-final winning assist to his collection.

If Palmer takes things in his stride, there are sure to be City managers who are surprised by how meteoric his rise has been since his departure.

“I don’t think I could have sat here in August and said he’s going to be the top goalscorer,” former under-18s coach Ben Wilkinson said in April when Palmer was level with Erling Haaland at the top of the score in the ranking. First league.

“On the other hand, you knew how good he could be. Last year he played for the under 21s, I used to think it was like having a playstation cheat code. It was so over the top. it was untrue. You always hoped he could transfer it to a first-team environment.

So could Palmer be the man for the big occasion in Berlin on Sunday, should he get the nod from Southgate? He already has goals in the FA Youth Cup final, Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, Euro U21 final and countless highlights for Chelsea.

“When you get to know him, he has that big stage mentality,” Wilkinson said. “I’ve seen him a lot this year and you probably wouldn’t expect it when you look at him, but he’s not fazed by anything.

“He could go and play in a Champions League final and still be the guy who makes the difference. He wants the big games and he wants the ball all the time. He doesn’t care if it’s a penalty or a free-kick.

“The thing that Cole has to back up is that his technical ability is incredibly high and that shouldn’t be underestimated. His finishing in and around the box, he puts it on his left foot and the goal opens up – you’ve seen enough. or know that there is a good chance that it will end up in the bottom of the net.

“Of course (we’re all) surprised, but it’s also nice to see the success he’s had because it reaffirms to you that he was as good as I thought he was.”

If Palmer becomes European champion on Sunday, he will have earned the right through his form at Chelsea. But all his talent, confidence and ‘big game’ ability will be done at City.