Cole Palmer was asking to leave Manchester City for two years before Chelsea move
The 21-year-old attacker, who came through City's academy, made his breakthrough into Guardiola's team in 2020 and opted to make the £42m move to the Blues at the start of this season.
Since then, he has netted 20 Premier League goals, placing him level with Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot. He is also set to feature for England in the upcoming European Championship in Germany.
The Citizens were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-final by Real Madrid on penalties in midweek after the tie ended 4-4 on aggregate.
Guardiola admits he could have given Palmer more playing timeWhen asked if he had any regrets about Palmer's departure, Guardiola responded, «I don't know. He was an exceptional player during his time here. I've mentioned it many times before, perhaps I didn't give him the minutes he deserved, and now he's getting them at Chelsea. I completely understand.
»He's a shy guy with a lot of potential. It is what it is. He's playing fantastic so what can I say? The decision has been made for many reasons."
The City boss also indicated that he wanted to retain Palmer over the summer, especially after the departure of Riyad Mahrez to Al Ahli in July.
«He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said stay. He said he wanted to leave. What could we do? I said stay because Riyad [Mahrez] is gone, but for two seasons he wanted to leave.»
Palmer thriving at Stamford BridgeThe 21-year-old is now in contention with his former teammate Phil Foden for the PFA Player of the Year award following his remarkable debut season at Stamford Bridge.
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