‘Unsettled’ Cole Palmer linked with stunning Manchester City return amid Stamford Bridge chaos | OneFootball

Former Manchester City star Cole Palmer could be nearing a return to the north-west after reports suggested the attacker is unsettled at Chelsea. 

The England international is a City Football Academy graduate and made his debut under Pep Guardiola in 2020 before forming part of the Manchester City treble-winning team that won a maiden UEFA Champions League title, FA Cup and Premier League in 2023. 

In addition, Palmer has two other Premier League titles, the League Cup and the UEFA European U21 Championship with England to his name.

For Chelsea, the 23-year-old was pivotal in the FIFA Club World Cup triumph last summer and played a part in all three goals scored against Paris-Saint Germain in the final. Palmer finished the tournament with three goals and two assists, earning the Golden Ball that was handed to him by United States president Donald Trump.

But after a series of recurring injuries this season, including two groins setbacks, a broken toe and thigh problems, Palmer’s game time has been cut short, thrusting him into a pool of doubt over his future. 

As reported by Sun Sport, Palmer is unsettled and wants to return to his home city, which could see him be tempted to rejoin Guardiola’s side or sign for Manchester United, the club he has supported since he was a child. 

It was also reported that after a perverse showing against Brentford, where Palmer scored a 76th-minute penalty to sink Keith Andrews’ side, he walked down the tunnel without celebrating with his teammates and the home fans inside Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea’s newly-appointed manager Liam Rosenior is adamant that Palmer is simply frustrating by his injury situation and not the environment he finds himself in, however.

“I’ve had numerous conversations with Cole (Palmer) and he seems very, very happy to be here. He’s a huge part of our plans in the long term. He’s an outstanding player,” Rosenior said.

“Every player goes through difficult moments in their careers in terms of injury. But my job and the club’s job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level that he wants to. And there was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn’t happy here, just because he couldn’t perform.

“He was in pain. He couldn’t perform to the level he wanted to do for the club. He’s a great kid and he’s an outstanding player, but we have to make sure that we look after him in the right way.”

Rosenior left Palmer out of Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League squad against Pafos last week but whether a return to Manchester is of high potential is yet to be seen, though City fans would certainly bite their hands off Chelsea if a move is possible.