Pep Guardiola has revealed exactly why he had to let Cole Palmer leave Manchester City.
The Chelsea star has been in tremendous form this season and is currently sitting at the top of the goalscoring chart alongside Erling Haaland having bagged 20 goals in the league so far.
In his last outing he scored an incredible four goals against a dismal Everton leading to many in the game wondering why Pep let him go in the first place.
Cole Palmer's four goals against Everton 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/oM5fc7hSxa
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 18, 2024
The Manchester City boss has now revealed he wanted to leave TWO seasons ago.
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Guardiola explained: “He said he wanted to leave. What could we do? He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said, ‘No, stay’.
“I also said in pre-season he should stay because Riyad Mahrez had gone, but he said, ‘No, I want to leave’.
“So after two seasons what could I say?
“Playing at his current level is exceptional. He is an incredible threat. Everyone knows it.
“We’ve seen how strong Chelsea are, the weapons they have up front, and Cole is the decisive player of the season.”
Guardiola conceded that the Englishman deserved more game time than what he was given at the Etihad stadium.
He continued: “I didn’t give him the minutes that he deserved. He wanted minutes that now he has at Chelsea. I understand completely.
“I am happy for him because he’s a lovely guy and an exceptional player.
Has Palmer been your player of the season so far? Let us know in the comments.
