Former Manchester City defender, Nedum Onuoha, has claimed Cole Palmer was a fan of the club’s biggest rivals Manchester United after the attacker left for Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea stumped up £40 million to sign the attacking midfielder in the summer. Few people had witnessed much of Palmer in the senior ranks, with his appearances restricted to cameos and cup games under Pep Guardiola.
But the 21-year-old is quietly dispelling the doubters as he has arguably been Chelsea’s best player this season. When he left the Etihad Stadium, Palmer cited a lack of first-team football as his main reason for heading south.
“I’m not saying I shied away from the competition [at Man City] because I’ve never done that,” he said. “I’d been there [near the first team] for a few years and wanted more of an opportunity to play and to have more of an impact.
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“It was a huge decision. When I left the training ground on Thursday I knew I was going to London the next day. It all just hit me, sitting in the car and going to drive out. I was just thinking, ‘You’ve been here 15 years’.”
But ex-City defender Onuoha has revealed the secret reason why Palmer may have sought pastures new. While a lack of minutes would not have helped, the Chelsea star, according to Onuoha, is a closet Manchester United fan.
“I’ve got to address this,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live before Chelsea faced Man City.
“When Cole Palmer was at City, I thought he was good but I was never fighting for him to be starting. And now I see Cole Palmer at Chelsea, and it makes perfect sense that he’s starting because he’s like the guy, do you know what I mean?
“I just think Cole Palmer will be desperate to do something in this game against City, against his former teammates and his former manager who let him go. And, this is the insight that I know, he’s a United fan as well! You saw him last week, I think he was tapping the badge and all sorts. But this game will be the biggest game that he’s had in his career to this point.”