Manchester City have let some very talented players go in recent times.
Indeed, City have made cut-throat decisions on the likes of Joao Cancelo, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko in recent years, while Julian Alvarez was sold last summer.
Alvarez has been tipped for a Ballon d’Or since leaving City, but, remarkably, he may not even be the most talented player to have left The Etihad in recent times.
Indeed, Cole Palmer was sold by City for £40m back in 2023, and it’s fair to say he’s flourished at Chelsea.
Selling Palmer was seen as a mistake by many, and speaking on the Kelly and Wrighty Show, Ian Wright has shared an interesting verdict on this move from the player’s perspective.
Ian Wright says Cole Palmer made a great decision leaving Manchester City
Wright spoke about Palmer amid a recent difficult run of form.
According to the pundit, this run has further underlined why leaving Manchester City was the best decision for him.
Wright believes that Palmer will learn from this run of form, and he’ll learn by staying in the team throughout this period, claiming that he’d have been quickly dropped by Pep Guardiola if this was happening at Manchester City.
“You say about him being at City and not getting these changes. The best thing for him to have done is to move from City and go to a Chelsea,” Wright said.
“Yes, no one expected him to be the main man so quickly, but his standard and his level, if he stayed at City he wouldn’t be at this level yet, he wouldn’t have bee able to play through this. Next season you can look at someone like Cole Palmer and say he’s learned from last season, he’s affecting games, and that’s why you leave a City where he’s not playing.
“You look at Foden, Foden’s dropped off and he’s out, so what would Palmer have to have done to be at City and play that consistently for that long, it’s almost impossible. You have to go to Chelsea, go through this period and then you find it, you find it.”
Players who improved after leaving Manchester City
Manchester City are one of the greatest clubs in world football, but, it has to be said, the Etihad isn’t always the right environment for certain, very talented payers.
Indeed, a number of players over the years have seriously improved or kicked on since leaving Manchester City.
| Players who improved after leaving Man City |
| Jerome Boateng |
| Romeo Lavia |
| Morgan Rogers |
| Brahim Diaz |
| Jeremie Frimpong |
| Douglas Luiz |
Jerome Boateng became an all-time great after leaving City, Morgan Rogers has been shining for Aston Villa this season, while Brahim Diaz is now a regular for Real Madrid.
Jeremie Frimpong has also become a superstar after leaving City, while Douglas Luiz was amazing for Aston Villa for a period after being sold by Pep Guardiola.
There are certain players who develop better away from the Etihad, and Palmer is certainly in that category.
