Micah Richards ‘absolutely gutted’ at £45m Man City transfer, but accepts move had to happen

The sale of Cole Palmer to Chelsea this summer in a deal that could ultimately net Manchester City a £45m windfall left Micah Richards, by his own admission, “gutted” – but the pundit admits the England U21 star had to make the move for multitude of reasons.

The talented youngster, who was born in the Wythenshawe area of Manchester and grew up a City fan, was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to depart boyhood team Manchester City over the summer. While very highly-rated by Pep Guardiola, a raft of top stars were all ahead of him in the pecking order under the Spanish coach, ensuring game-time was limited.

Palmer first made his debut for City back in September 2020 and he was heralded by City coaches as a talent on a par with their other top young talent in Phil Foden.

He went on to make a total of 41 appearances for the Cityzens, scoring six times. But with a plethora of options to pick from, Palmer was only afforded three Premier League starts in total.

His situation looked to improve over the summer when Riyad Mahrez forced through a lucrative move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, worth an estimated £30m.

However, when Guardiola then went out and signed Jeremy Doku in the Algerian’s place, Palmer went to see Guardiola and made clear he wanted to leave.

That led to an eyebrow-raising move to Chelsea, with the package costing an intial £40m with a further £5m in add-ons.

Palmer, though, is clearly hungry to make the most of the faith that Mauricio Pochettino has shown in him. Now his brilliant form for the Blues is sparking suggestions that Guardiola was wrong not to give Palmer more of a chance.

READ MORE: The 10 most valuable Under-21 players in the world, featuring recent Chelsea and Man City signings

Micah Richards on why Cole Palmer had to leave Man City for Chelsea

Indeed, in his 11 matches for Chelsea so far, Palmer has four goals and two assists – a goal involvement every 1.8 appearances so far – and more than vindicating his decision to make the move. He also scored the last-ditch penalty on Sunday that secured Chelsea an incredible 4-4 draw against his former employers.

That form has raised the possibility of Palmer even making the jump into Gareth Southgate’s senior England squad before the 2024 European Championships.

Competition, however, remains tough for attacking midfield berths, with Palmer needing to continue his high levels if he is to break into the reckoning.

Nonetheless, Palmer’s displays have been compared to that of legendary Arsenal star Dennis Bergkamp by a controversial pundit.

His performances have also earned a big tip of the hat from Richards, with the former Man City and Aston Villa defender-turned pundit, acknowledging that the 15-times capped England U21 star was right to force through his move.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards explained his disappointment at seeing Palmer shine for the Londoners instead of his hometown club.

“I’m gutted, I’m gutted. I think it was right for him because it’s not like he’s going to a team which are not going to challenge, he’s got a great manager, he’s at a club that are going to spend a lot of money and he’s becoming the main man.

“You’re never going to be the main man at Man City,” Richards stated.

“We’ve talked so much about [Phil] Foden and whether he can become that and it’s taken Foden [time], he’s sort of dipped in form a little bit. He played well today but when you’ve got Foden and [Jeremy] Doku, and [Jack] Grealish and Bernardo Silva and [Julian] Alvarez, he has to go and play.”

Oscar Bobb takes advantage of Palmer sale

Richards concluded: “So, I’m gutted, I’m devastated that he’s not a Man City player but I’m happy he’s doing so well.”

Such is the huge array of talent on offer at City, it’s doubtful City will be ruing their decision to cash in.

Richards has already touched upon the strong competition for places at the Etihad. But there’s also another bright young talent emerging off the Etihad production line that is starting to make his impact felt.

In Oscar Bobb, City have another massive young talent who looks destined for a huge future in the game.

The Norwegian joined City in July 2019 from Oslo-based club Valerenga.

And while he’s had to wait for his chance, Guardiola handed Bobb his Premier League debut in September, replacing Foden as an 88th-minute substitute against Fulham.

Bobb has since featured in the Champions League too, having clocked up seven appearances in all competitions.

The technically-gifted star has also made his senior debut for Norway, winning two caps, alongside his City teammate Erling Haaland.

Very touted to be a big star of the future, it’s unlikely the 20-year-old would have enjoyed as much exposure in the City first team this season had Palmer stuck around. Everything for a reason, though…

DON’T MISS: Man City join Real Madrid in race for blockbuster Chelsea signing, with Guardiola to overhaul one position