Manchester City haven’t neglected their youth academy despite well over a decade of being bankrolled by very wealthy owners.
City have nurtured a number of quality players, with some sold on and others still strutting their stuff at the Etihad Stadium.
It hasn’t always worked out from City’s point of view, with some players leaving and then forging careers for themselves with other clubs.
Cole Palmer is a prime example of that and had he still been at City this season, the club might have given Liverpool a stronger challenge in the race for the Premier League title.
That’s all hypothetical and even Pep Guardiola can’t get everything spot on when it comes to the recruitment side of management.
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Chris Sutton thinks Pep Guardiola has made a big transfer mistake
The Citizens won’t look back on this season with too much fondness even if success comes in the FA Cup.
Sutton is never backwards in coming forward and he believes that Guardiola made a big mistake last summer when it came to one talented young striker.
Liam Delap might well be relegated with Ipswich Town this season but 11 goals represent a very positive return for a striker in a struggling team.
As a result, Sutton has told the It’s All Kicking Off podcast that he believes City will look back on this deal with regret in the future.
He said: “I think he’s going to be another one of those in seasons to come where people look at him and think, well, he was at Manchester City, a bit like the old Cole Palmer one. Pep Guardiola should never have let this guy go. I think he’ll be a really decent piece of business for someone.”
Liam Delap youth record was better than Cole Palmer’s
The pair played together with the under-18 and under-21 ranks at City and it was clear that both would make waves in the Premier League.
Delap was stunning at youth football and it’s not hard to understand why he’s adapted to the Premier League given his style of play.
| Competition | Liam Delap | Cole Palmer |
| Under-18s Premier League | 8 | 19 |
| Premier League 2 | 35 | 21 |
Many have backed the striker to replace Harry Kane on the international stage and surely a senior call isn’t too far away.
Palmer hasn’t been quite as blistering by his standards in 2024/25 but surely, Guardiola will be wishing he had kept him for a little while longer.
It will be fascinating to see what happens to Delap, although it does feel as though City have missed a trick once again with the talisman.
