Manchester City will reportedly turn to Cole Palmer next season as a replacement for Raheem Sterling, with the England international on the verge of signing for Chelsea.
According to the Daily Mail, the 20-year-old academy graduate is set for a more serious role in the first team after enjoying a breakout year in the senior squad last campaign, with Palmer making 11 appearances in all competitions and scoring three, including one in the UEFA Champions League against Club Brugge.
Following on from the immense success of Phil Foden, Pep Guardiola is now keen to replicate this with Palmer, who is one of City’s most highly-rated academy products and is also a local talent like his England international teammate.
With City already signing Julian Alvarez, another player who can play in Sterling’s positions, the Premier League champions might be fine without the Chelsea-bound superstar next season, especially if Palmer steps up into the seniors with the right attitude.
The youngster, who is naturally a central midfielder but has seen most of his first-team football come out on the wings and attacking positions, was one of City’s best U-21 players last season, and with Sterling signing for Chelsea, Palmer could be a brilliant homegrown replacement for the 27-year-old.
Indeed, the decision will also be one that is greatly welcomed by supporters, who have been brilliant in the past 12 months in hyping up the likes of Palmer and James McAtee, another academy talent who could feature more in the first-team next season should a senior midfielder depart the Etihad Stadium.
Palmer is perfect to replace new Chelsea signing Sterling at City
Hailed as ‘special’ by former City defender Micah Richards, Palmer is a talent many fans and pundits are expecting big things from next season, and with the club now giving the 20-year-old the chance to replace a player as important as Sterling, the England youth international has a golden opportunity to make a name for himself.
With Palmer clearly way too good for youth football and City entrusting the academy graduate with the chance of a lifetime next season, the winger could be the perfect replacement for Sterling in the coming months, especially if the youngster replicates the form of Foden during his breakout year with the Manchester giants.
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