COLE PALMER has revealed when he decided to leave Manchester City.

Palmer, 22, has been a revelation since joining Chelsea for £40m on deadline day of the 2023/24 summer transfer window.

Cole Palmer has revealed when he knew he had to leave Man City

Palmer had been at the club since the age of seven and originally only wanted to go on loan

And Palmer admits the rapid nature of his deadline-day move to Chelsea means he never got to say a proper goodbye

Despite the club’s overall struggles in a huge transitional period, Palmer stood up to be counted and has scored a remarkable 32 goals in 57 games in all competitions.

However, Palmer’s original plan was not to leave City, who had nurtured him since the age of seven.

But speaking to GQ, Palmer admitted he knew he had to take the decision in order to further his career.

He said: “I wasn’t even gonna go [to] Chelsea. I got persuaded.” He then nodded to his manager when asked who persuaded him to move.

“I just knew I wasn’t going to play as much as I wanted to. Even when I was going to England [camps] with younger age groups, you had players there who were playing in the league every week.

“And you’re looking around thinking, I can play in the league. When you’re not playing, it’s annoying.”

Palmer acknowledges that even after Riyad Mahrez finalized a move to Saudi Arabia, he was compelled to change his mind about coming on loan after learning he would not be playing behind well-known players.

Palmer was unable to say a proper goodbye due to the expeditious nature of the sale, so his final farewell to the club he had been with for 14 years was a text message.

He added: “No – do you know what, I just wanted to go on loan…

“I remember training on a Wednesday at City in the afternoon, and the news was ‘they’re trying to agree a fee.’

“Every time the ball went out I’d ask the kit man or the doctor if they’ve agreed the fee yet.

“So I didn’t really get a chance to see many people and say I’m going. I just had to get my stuff.

“I messaged the group chat, said ‘Thanks and everything. I’m gone.’ That was it.”