Nedum Onuoha has said that Joleon Lescott was a seriously big fan of former Manchester City star Cole Palmer, and that he believes Chelsea did a brilliant transfer deal to land him.
Palmer played against City on Sunday for the first time since leaving the Etihad Stadium in the summer.
Palmer departed the Etihad to join the west London giants in a deal worth £42.5 million in total. It was a move that actually raised the eyebrows of some fans from both clubs.
Some City supporters did not want him to go, following the earlier sale of Riyad Mahrez. But others were comfortable with it, given the money involved.
Some Chelsea fans felt that the Blues had overpaid.
So far though, Palmer has made a real impression – and Onuoha has been speaking about how Lescott viewed him before he left…
Joleon Lescott was a huge fan of Cole Palmer and believes Chelsea got a great deal
Onuoha has appeared in a new video for ESPN FC on YouTube and has spoken a little bit about Palmer, after his brilliant performance against City in the 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer was one of the best players on the pitch, and showed nerves of steel to convert an injury-time penalty against his former club. Jamie Carragher said that he had been ‘brilliant’ in the game.
It’s far too early to suggest that City are missing him. But Lescott does apparently believe Chelsea have done some seriously good business.
Onuoha said: “One of his coaches (was) Joleon Lescott for the England U21s last year. He always used to say how Cole Palmer was an exceptional talent. When the money came in for him, I think £42.5 million, there were lots of people who raised eyebrows thinking ‘Well, of course you have to send him down there’ because that’s so much money for someone that’s not proven.
“But for him (Lescott) he said that’s going to be a good deal for them. You can see in the way he plays, the way he carries himself at Chelsea. He’s confident, he feels like he’s the guy.”
Time will tell if City will regret losing Palmer
Lescott actually did vocalise his feelings about the ‘exceptional’ Palmer ahead of the Super Cup with Sevilla earlier this season.
The former Etihad defender is someone who’s worked with him regularly and knows full well what he’s capable of.
Palmer just couldn’t quite establish himself as a regular during his time in the first-team squad at City. He showed flashes of his brilliance, but was ultimately unable to convince Pep to give him a proper run of starts.
Ahead of the game with Chelsea, Guardiola revealed that he had offered Palmer more game time in the wake of Mahrez leaving. But the player turned it down, insisting he was ready to leave.
Palmer cannot be blamed for wanting a fresh start and so far it has worked out for him.
Time will tell if City come to regret losing the 21-year-old.
