Cole Palmer joins Chelsea having made just three Premier League starts (Picture: Getty)
Graeme Souness has labelled Chelsea’s decision to sign Cole Palmer from Manchester City in a £45m deal as ‘strange’ but ‘extremely bold’.
The Blues decided to bring in Palmer before the summer transfer window closed on Friday after Mauricio Pochettino made it clear he needed one more attacker.
Palmer arrives at Stamford Bridge having made just three Premier League starts in what is undoubtedly a gamble.
The versatile 21-year-old Englishman made a total of 41 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, registering six goals and two assists.
‘Chelsea’s decision to spend £45million on Cole Palmer, a 21-year-old with three Premier League starts, strikes me as strange and extremely bold,’ Souness told the Daily Mail.
‘It might all come together for Chelsea, who are spending a fortune on players of enormous potential who one day, with a big question mark attached, might be top men for them.
‘Their supporters, like all others, want instant success. After a miserable season, they will have limited patience and won’t be slow in venting their frustration. I can see where they’re coming from.’
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It has since emerged that the majority of Chelsea staff were kept in the dark over the club’s decision to sign Palmer.
Pochettino has confirmed it was Chelsea’s sporting directors who wanted to sign Palmer and it was not his own idea.
Palmer, meanwhile, has labelled his first Chelsea training session as ‘weird’ in an interview with the club’s YouTube channel.
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‘Strange and extremely bold.’