Cole
Palmer believes his meteoric rise to the England team has vindicated his
£40m move from Manchester City to Chelsea, but admits his maiden senior
call-up was never in his thoughts when he agreed to his summer switch.
Palmer has been a revelation under Mauricio Pochettino, scoring four
penalties and providing two assists during eight Premier League appearances
since moving to Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old will hope to cap a fine start to the season by making his
senior debut as England complete their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign at home
to Malta and away to North Macedonia this month having already booked their
place at next summer's tournament.
But Palmer revealed he was solely focused on performing regularly for
Chelsea when he waved goodbye to his 15-year affiliation with City.
Recalling the days leading up to his big-money move, the forward said: "You
know how good a manager Pep [Guardiola] is and he gave me the opportunity
and the platform to kick-start my career, so I'll always be grateful to him.
"Who knows what would have happened had I stayed... maybe I would have
played more, maybe not. But the decision to move to Chelsea, so far, is
paying off.
"It was a really tough decision, and I didn't know what I was going to do.
But with the competition that's there, the players they have and those they
were going to sign, I made my choice.
"I was speaking to people at Chelsea, and I spoke to my dad, but I really
didn't know what to do. I was thinking about it for a couple of days, near
enough every minute of the day. In the end, I felt that for my career I had
to leave to get regular game time.
"It was a big move for me as I'd never been out of Manchester. I hadn't been
on loan or anything like that, so to move down here on my own was a big
thing. When I arrived, it was difficult as I was staying in a hotel, but
I've now settled in.
"[Making the England squad] wasn't a big part of it. I wasn't even thinking
about an England call-up when I first went to Chelsea. I just wanted more of
an opportunity to prove myself. Getting called up is just a bonus.
"I got the news straight after the match [against Manchester City]. My phone
was going crazy because I've got some City fans who are mates and family.
"So, I read it... and then I read it again when it was confirmed. I rang my
dad straightaway, and he was with my mum. I told them first."
Palmer remains humble despite the rapid changes in his life. From winning
the Euros with the U21s last summer to signing for Chelsea, and then getting
called up for the senior England squad, the player is staying grounded and
taking it all in his stride.
With England already qualified, Gareth Southgate will have the chance to
experiment and blood youngsters over the coming 10 days.
"I'm going to try to make the biggest impact possible, by creating chances
and hopefully scoring," said Palmer, who credits his father Jermaine as
being influential in his journey to becoming a professional footballer.
"I'm new so I will speak to as many people as I can. I will try to get
settled quickly. I already know the City boys - Walks [Kyle Walker], Jack
[Grealish], Phil [Foden].
"I've played with Rico [Lewis] for ages. After the game [against City] he
asked me if I'd got the same message. We were both happy to be going to the
first camp together.
"If you have a friend there, it's always a bit nicer. So we're both
buzzing."
Palmer: I can see how Poch helps young
players
Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips will meet up later this week owing to
personal matters.
The withdrawals of Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill follow in the wake of
James Maddison, Callum Wilson and Lewis Dunk being replaced on Monday, with
the trio all staying with their respective clubs for treatment.
Ezri Konsa joins Palmer and Lewis in stepping in but Southgate has resisted
any temptation to bring in any other players to replace Bellingham and
Colwill, leaving him with a 23-man squad for the home game against Malta and
the trip to North Macedonia.
"I'd love to go to the Euros, but I've got to play well at club level
first," added Palmer, who said he was surprised that Raheem Sterling wasn't
part of the squad citing their natural chemistry.
"All the attackers are amazing players so there's a lot of competition.
"Hopefully, I can show what I can do. I spoke to Mauricio (Pochettino)
before I joined and it was a good phone call. A lot of people told me about
what he's like with young players, and ever since I went to Chelsea I can
see it. I'm enjoying working with him.
"I'm excited to carry it on. He's given me the confidence and the licence to
go where I want on the pitch. To use my strengths, so I'm grateful for it. I
like to play in all the positions to be fair. On the right, as a false nine,
in the middle.
"Wherever he puts me, I'm happy to play there. It's a big step up from the
youth team given the players that are here, but it's easier as we're trying
to produce the same style throughout the age groups."
England are already assured on their place at next summer's Euro 2024 finals
in Germany but Southgate will now target being a top seed when the draw is
made in Hamburg next month - so victory in both games remains a key target.
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