Following Wednesday’s agonizing Champions League exit, City – tired, perhaps, in legs and mind – face the prospect of their England Pantry hold being ruined in Saturday’s semi-final by a player the club sold in off-season and that he went to the club. to become arguably English football’s best player of the season.

By letting Cole Palmer join Chelsea for at least 40 million pounds ($50.7 million) on the final day of the summer transfer window, City manager Pep Guardiola knew he was letting a “star player” in. with “immense quality” left his club.

The world at large could have thought differently .

After all, this was a 21-year-old winger with less than 1,500 first-team minutes at his hometown club. It was someone in whom Guardiola, in thattime , really trusted to play exclusively in the national cups. Someone whose fee seemed way over the odds – no surprise given that the buyers were Chelsea and their big-spending American owners.

It turns out that Palmer could go down as one of the best signings in recent memory, certainly the best of Chelsea’s new era.

After a hat-trick against Manchester United two weeks ago and four goals against Everton on Monday, Palmer is tied as the Premier League firefighter on 20. That’s the same number as City’s Erling Haaland, who Not long ago he was being talked about as a generational talent for scoring goals.

The fact that Palmer is competing for the Golden Boot – he also has one more game to play than Haaland – is even more worrying given he did not feature in Chelsea’s first three games and did not score his first league goal until October.

Since therefore , it appears that Palmer has displayed his signature celebration – where he crosses his arms and strikes a “ goose bump ” pose – every week. His surname is “Cold Palmer”, a tribute to his composure with the ball and in front of goal.

“I don’t judge the player when we sign him, but I was hoping for the best,” said Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. “That doesn’t surprise us. He is a player who had the ability to score goals when he played for Manchester City. He has the ability to score with ease.

“The way he has adapted, played and performed is fantastic. He behaves like a firefighter and I think that’s incredible for the team and for him.”

Palmer plays as a number 10 or as a straight side cutting inside with his preferred left foot . He is languid, skilled – he loves a “nutmeg”, where a player kicks the sphere through a contender ‘s legs and runs to catch it – and is proving to be a ruthless finisher.

He has scored some of the Premier League’s best goals this season, including a solo shot at Luton that included him rolling the ball with the sole of his boot around the goalkeeper and stopping to watch a defender run past him before scoring. His debut against Everton was also beautiful. He has also converted nine of nine from the penalty spot this season.

No wonder he caught the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate, who included Palmer in his recent line-ups and gave him cameos in the second half against Súcia and North Macedonia in November. Palmer looks likely to be part of the squad for the next European Championships, although he is unlikely to be a starter.

Before that, Palmer will return to hurt City, where he spent 15 years before asking to move to play regularly, knowing he could not realistically overcome the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish under Guardiola. hierarchy of attacking midfielders?

He previously scored an injury-time equalizer from the penalty spot against his aging club in a 4-4 league thriller in November. He has already scored at Wembley Stadium – host of the semi-finals – this season too: for City in the Community Shield against Arsenal.

Guardiola knows City’s hopes of keeping their Premier League-FA Cup ambitions alive lie in keeping Palmer quiet.

“Making the decision to come to Chelsea was important for me and my family, but I just wanted to play football,” said Palmer. “I’m grateful to Chelsea for the opportunity and I’m excited.”

PRESSURE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

In the other semi-final, Coventry, from the second division, will try to create another surprise by defeating Manchester United, from whom the team and coach will be under great pressure on Sunday, with their season effectively at stake.

United are seventh in the league and continue to perform inconsistently, meaning they may not even qualify for Europe via their final position. Winning the FA Cup guarantees a place in the Europa League, although United will be the underdogs if they reach the final in their current form. While speculation continues to swirl over United manager Erik ten Hag’s stance, losing to Coventry – managed by former United striker Mark Robins – would certainly be the final straw.

Source: apnews