Key Takeaways
- Cole Palmer says online gossip about a move to Manchester United makes him laugh.
- The 23-year-old insists he is happy in London and is not homesick for Manchester.
- Palmer and captain Reece James have told Chelsea bosses which new players the squad needs.
Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer has dismissed stories that he wants to join Manchester United, saying he simply laughs when he sees his name linked with the Old Trafford side.
The 23-year-old, who left Manchester City for Stamford Bridge in a £42.5 million switch two years ago, told the Guardian that reports of homesickness are wide of the mark. “Manchester will always be home because my family live there, but I don’t sit here missing it,” Palmer said. “When I go back after three months I realise there’s nothing there for me any more.”
Palmer’s goal return has dipped this season – ten so far compared with 43 in his first two campaigns – yet he stresses his mind is fixed on helping Chelsea finish in the Champions League places and win the FA Cup. “We have a semi-final against Leeds and a top-five finish is still in our hands,” he noted.
The forward signed a new nine-year deal last year that keeps him at the club until 2033. He says the long contract shows he is going nowhere and adds that senior players have already told the board where the squad needs reinforcements. “Reece James and I speak with the owners about the type of players we need. Reece wouldn’t sign for six more years if he didn’t believe in the plan,” Palmer explained.
Chelsea, currently sixth in the Premier League, host third-placed Manchester United on Saturday evening in a match that could shape both clubs’ European hopes.