Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer has admitted that he spent the majority of the summer transfer window wanting to remain at Manchester City.
From 2010 onwards, the playmaker was part of the academy system at the Etihad Stadium and ultimately made the progression into the senior ranks.
A total of 41 appearances were made in all competitions, with six goals and two assists being contributed, and the expectation was that Palmer could act as a seamless replacement for Riyad Mahrez.
However, despite scoring a wonder goal in the Community Shield against Arsenal and an effort in the UEFA Super Cup versus Sevilla, Palmer was surprisingly sold by City towards the back end of August.
Since then, the 21-year-old has justified the transfer by chipping in with eight goals and seven assists from 21 appearances for Chelsea, where he has quickly established himself as a key man.
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Furthermore, Palmer has earned recognition with England, winning two senior caps for the Three Lions, but that has not stopped him from acknowledging that a switch to West London was not his preference.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports News, Palmer revealed that he wanted a loan move elsewhere to enhance his development, only to be told that it was not possible.
Palmer said: "My thing was to never leave City. That was not my intention. I wanted to go on loan for a year, come back and be ready for the first team.
"But they said I couldn't go on loan, either stay or you get sold. "So then, Chelsea rang me. I said I wanted to go to Chelsea and I'm really happy to be here. I'm very glad I made the decision to come here."
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Despite the uncertainty at the time over whether a transfer to Chelsea may work out, Palmer opted to sign a seven-year contract, as was the norm at the West Londoners before FIFA acted over such length of deals.
One of Palmer's eight Premier League goals came against Man City earlier this season, scoring a last-gasp penalty to earn a 4-4 draw.
However, Palmer will take responsibility for Chelsea not defeating Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, squandering several clear-cut chances in the first half either side of Boro scoring their decisive goal in the first leg of the semi-final tie.
Nevertheless, Palmer will expect to feature when Chelsea play host to neighbours Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino's side having an opportunity to go as high as seventh place in the standings with a win.
Darren Plant
