“Both at Chelsea now” – Pep Guardiola reaction says it all after Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho transfers
The way Pep Guardiola handled the departures of Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho says a lot about him as a person.
Palmer made headlines with his exploits after rising through the ranks at Manchester City under Guardiola’s tutelage in 2020. He made 41 appearances before the youthful prodigy secured a staggering £40 million move to Chelsea last September. Since then, Palmer has made an impression at Stamford Bridge, scoring 31 goals and dishing out 19 assists in just 53 appearances. His latest incredible four-goal outburst against Brighton has further demonstrated his abilities.
Meanwhile, Sancho has encountered a rollercoaster journey since bidding adieu to City back in 2017. The promising starlet, who never got a senior cap for City, flourished during his stint at Dortmund but hit rough waters after his switch to Manchester United in 2021.
A loan back to Bundesliga earlier this year marked an attempt to recapture his form. Sancho’s summer loan to Chelsea has witnessed a promising start, evidenced by several assists across three outings. Guardiola candidly mentioned that Sancho’s decision to turn down a new contract and leave for Dortmund didn’t leave him with any regrets, reports the Manchester Evening News.
With typical equanimity in 2021, Guardiola said: “I’ve said many times, it is not a regret. He decides. He’s doing really well. Congratulations, he’s an exceptional player. He is a national team player with huge quality, doing really well in Dortmund.”
While the City boss admitted he would’ve preferred him to stay, he expressed his happiness for the player when it became clear that an agreement for him to stay put was elusive. Guardiola did, however, raise some eyebrows earlier when he questioned the forward’s ambition to secure a first-team spot.
Reflecting on Sancho’s decision to leave Manchester City back in 2019, Guardiola said: “I don’t know. He didn’t want to take this challenge [to fight his way into the first team], this opportunity to discover if he was able to. He decided to go there. So, it’s perfect. It’s going well and congratulations on what he is doing.
“He is doing an incredible performance. He did it incredibly well this season. What would have happened this season [at City]? I don’t know. Again, with the players, it depends on them and what they do on the pitch.” Despite scoring prolifically for Borussia Dortmund, Sancho has not quite hit similar heights since his high-profile move to United, tallying only 12 goals in 83 outings.
He seems to be relishing his new chapter at Stamford Bridge on loan, where under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, he’s getting ample playing time to showcase his abilities in England’s top flight. Meanwhile Guardiola also commented on Palmer’s transfer to Chelsea, noting how the youngster’s game has developed over the past year.
In an interview with The Athletic, he said: “I don’t know. He’s an exceptional player when he was here. I said many times, I didn’t give the minutes that maybe he deserved and now he has at Chelsea. I understand completely.” Guardiola also regretfully mentioned how Palmer had been intent on leaving City for some time: “He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said stay.
“He said he wanted to leave. What could we do? I said stay because Riyad is gone but for two seasons he wanted to leave. Playing at that level is exceptional.” Palmer’s outstanding debut season, with a remarkable tally of 22 Premier League goals in 33 matches, did not go unnoticed, earning him a spot in England’s squad for Euro 2024 as chosen by then-manager Gareth Southgate.
City and Guardiola, however, managed to overcome their former players and their new team Chelsea in the first match of the new season, securing a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. It is clear, though, the value Palmer would have added to City’s line-up if he had decided to stay last year.