The way Pep Guardiola handled the departures of Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho says a lot about him as a person.
Palmer made headlines with his exploits after rising through the ranks at Manchester City under Guardiola’s tutelage in 2020. He made 41 appearances before the youthful prodigy secured a staggering £40 million move to Chelsea last September. Since then, Palmer has made an impression at Stamford Bridge, scoring 31 goals and dishing out 19 assists in just 53 appearances. His latest incredible four-goal outburst against Brighton has further demonstrated his abilities.
Sancho, however, has experienced a wild ride since saying goodbye to City in 2017. The gifted young player, who was never given a senior City cap, thrived while at Dortmund but struggled when he moved to Manchester United in 2021.
An attempt to regain his form was made earlier this year on a loan back to Bundesliga. Sancho’s summer loan at Chelsea is off to a strong start as shown by his three appearances with multiple assists. Guardiola openly stated that he had no regrets over Sancho’s choice to decline a new contract and join Dortmund, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Guardiola stated in 2021, with characteristic calm, “I’ve said many times, it is not a regret. He makes a choice. He’s doing quite well indeed. Congrats! He’s a really good player. He is a very talented player for the national team who is excelling at Dortmund.”
The City manager said that he would have loved the player to stay, but when it became apparent that a deal to keep him at City was elusive, he expressed his happiness for the player. However, when he questioned the forward’s desire to earn a spot in the first squad, Guardiola raised some eyebrows.
Guardiola remarked, “I don’t know,” in response to Sancho’s decision to quit Manchester City back in 2019. He was unwilling to accept this challenge, this chance to prove he could make the first team, and to battle his way in. He made the decision to travel there. Thus, it’s flawless. It’s moving along nicely, and congrats on his accomplishments.
He’s giving a fantastic performance. He performed it quite effectively this season. What would have transpired [at City] this season? I’m not sure. Once more, it is up to the players and their actions on the pitch.” Sancho, who scored a lot of goals for Borussia Dortmund, has not quite reached the same heights since his high-profile transfer to United, with just 12 goals in 83 games.
He looks to be enjoying his new chapter at Stamford Bridge on loan, where he’s getting plenty of playing time to show off his skills in England’s premier league under the direction of Enzo Maresca. Guardiola also discussed Palmer’s move to Chelsea at the same time, pointing out the young player’s improvement in the last 12 months.
He stated in an interview with The Athletic: “I’m not sure. He was a really good player while he was here. I’ve stated it numerous times: I didn’t give him the playing time he might have needed, and now he’s at Chelsea. I fully comprehend.” Palmer had been planning to leave City for a while, Guardiola added with regret: “He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said stay.”
“He expressed his desire to go. How might we proceed? Although Riyad wanted to leave after two seasons, I encouraged him to stay. That’s an amazing level of play.” Palmer’s incredible debut season—he scored 22 Premier League goals in 33 games—was noted, and the then-manager Gareth Southgate included him in England’s squad for Euro 2024.
But in the opening game of the new season, City and Guardiola prevailed 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, defeating both their new team, Chelsea, and their former players. Palmer would have been a valuable addition to City’s lineup if he had stayed last season, though.
