Cole Palmer and the sliding-doors moments that led to his Chelsea stardom

In mid-August 2023, Chelsea wanted to grant new head coach Mauricio Pochettino's wish of signing a versatile attacker capable of playing across the frontline. In an ideal world, that player would be left-footed and strong at coming inside off the right wing.

This pursuit to acquire such a profile saw them target Michael Olise, who they believed was available for £35m owing to a release clause in his contract. Much of the media storm around the prospective deal made it seem like a transfer was a mere formality. However, Crystal Palace disputed the manner in which Olise's clause was triggered, effectively accusing Chelsea of tapping up the player. Chelsea backed off and the young Frenchman went on to sign a new deal in the following days, reaffirming his commitment to the Eagles.

Chelsea, running out of time to secure another signing and now the subject of public scrutiny for failing to get Olise over the line, turned their attention to Manchester City's Cole Palmer, who they had been tracking for a few months to that point.

Palmer was used sparingly throughout the 2022/23 season but saw more regular game time towards the end of the campaign as Pep Guardiola rotated his squad to cope with the physical demands of trying to win the treble. In those appearances, he showed signs of promise, though few could have honestly predicted the 2023/24 he was about to have.

Over the summer, Palmer was one of the standout stars as England won the Under-21 European Championships. Upon his return for pre-season, he had a very frank and honest discussion with Pep Guardiola. In confidentiality, he asked for a guarantee of minutes or made it clear he had other options, and backed himself to move and succeed.

Palmer has publicly admitted he did