Manchester City coach Juanma Lillo has addressed Cole Palmer’s recent transfer move away from the club.
Earlier today, it was revealed that the winger had joined Chelsea in a deal worth a reported fee of £42.5m.
Now though, the man in temporary charge of the treble winners has had his say on this latest move.
Lillo assesses Palmer exit
Speaking in a recent press conference ahead of City’s upcoming Premier League match against Fulham, Lillo had this to say about Palmer’s exit.
He said: “I’m not going to send messages, but it’s the reality. It’s very difficult to go against a player’s wishes.
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“When a player wants to go, it’s difficult to go against it. We have to work out the value for the club as well.
“There is a pride that these young players keep creating, give life to the rest of the country. We have to be proud and satisfied. To deny a footballer what he wants to do is very difficult.”
Earlier this month, Palmer said to the media that his plan for this season was to play regular football, whether that would be at City or elsewhere.
This was quickly followed up by Pep Guardiola, who said that he wasn’t sure what would happen with the 21-year-old’s future, only that he wouldn’t be leaving on loan.
Even though he scored a goal against Arsenal in the Community Shield and one against Sevilla in the Super Cup, the Englishman had been an unused substitute for City’s two previous Premier League games against Newcastle United and Sheffield United.
This could suggest that he may have felt that he wasn’t going to get the minutes he wanted and was better off elsewhere, therefore, as Lillo said, ultimately making it hard for City to keep hold of Palmer if he had his heart set on leaving.
Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Englishman, who Joleon Lescott hailed as an “exceptional” player earlier this month, ends up playing a prominent role in Mauricio Pochettino’s side.