Cole Palmer has admitted he did not intend to leave Manchester City on a permanent basis, but was denied the opportunity to head out on loan prior to his £40m move to Chelsea.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a fine breakthrough campaign with Man City during their treble-winning 2022/23 season, though he was largely limited to appearances from the bench.
Palmer was not linked with an exit from Man City until late in the summer window having scored in their Community Shield loss to Arsenal and UEFA Super Cup triumph over Sevilla, after which his long-term future came into question.
Speaking to Sky Sports prior to Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, Palmer revealed he intended to stay at Man City but is now happy at Chelsea.
"My thing was to never leave City. That was not my intention. I wanted to go on loan for a year, come back and be ready for the first team. But they said I couldn't go on loan, either stay or you get sold," Palmer said.
"So then, Chelsea rang me. I said I wanted to go to Chelsea and I'm really happy to be here. I'm very glad I made the decision to come here."
Though Chelsea have largely struggled this season, Palmer has announced himself as one of the country's best young players, registering eight goals and four assists in 16 Premier League games thus far. He has also made his senior England debut since joining the Blues.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has likened Palmer to Argentina legend Angel Di Maria - a comparison the young Englishman is happy with.
"What a player," Palmer said of Di Maria. "Obviously, it's high praise, but I'm a long way away from it."
