Palmer returns to Manchester City for the first time since he changed his base to London as Chelsea take on the reigning champions at the Etihad Stadium over the weekend. The 21-year-old’s ability to handle pressure has been showcased abundantly throughout the season and especially when he calmly converted a crucial penalty against his former employers in the previous encounter which ended in a 4-4 draw in west London. However, his rapid adjustment to his new surroundings has been even more surprising forcing Pochettino to compare the Englishman to a South American.
Speaking to reporters, Pochettino said: “One staff member at the club said to me: ‘he’s from Manchester, but he looks Brazilian or Argentine!’ He arrived and adapted very quickly. He is smart, intelligent and cheeky. He is emotionally intelligent. He doesn’t care [about playing at City]. He will play well or not well but not because of pressure.”
Despite initial scepticism about Palmer’s £42.5 million transfer to Chelsea, he has proven to be a valuable asset and currently leads the club’s scoring charts with 12 goals across all competitions. If he puts in an inspired performance against City to help Chelsea snatch a win, his heroics will be celebrated in north London and Merseyside as well as other title contenders Arsenal & Liverpool will be keeping a keen eye on the proceedings in Manchester.
Although Pep Guardiola insisted that he never had doubts about Palmer’s quality, the manager fielded him just 41 times, including just six starts, after handing him a first-team debut in September 2020. The forward denied City the full three points in the reverse fixture and dished out a cold celebration in London rain the last time the two sides met and it would not be surprising if he once again does the same, as he would love to make a point to his former club!
