Premier League icon Louis Saha believes Cole Palmer's affection for Manchester United could see him move to Old Trafford one day.
The Red Devils are apparently in a state of disharmony behind the scenes after Dan Ashworth stepped down from his position as sporting director just five months ago. That left United somewhat uncertain about their direction in the transfer market, although a player of Palmer's caliber would undoubtedly be welcome at the club.
It would have been too much to expect Manchester City to sell to their biggest rivals last year when Palmer – a boyhood United fan – joined Chelsea for £40 million. And while a deal may not be feasible at the moment given United's struggle to regain a foothold among England's elite, 2008 Champions League winner Saha believes it could be possible in the future.
“Cole Palmer going to Manchester United would make sense one day as he grew up a fan of the club, but there is only one club I can see him going to after Chelsea,” he told Complete Sports. “I see that he is on his way to Real Madrid, and I don't think the move will phase him. He never doubts himself or overthinks things.
“He wants to enjoy his game and he is having fun. I am very jealous of Chelsea because he is a big star and I think he would be a great success if he went to Spain.”
Chelsea were so confident in their star's abilities that they awarded him a contract until 2033. That could pose a major problem for clubs looking to sign him from West London and essentially rules out the prospect of a free transfer for the player. he's still somewhere near his peak.
Palmer, 22, has been linked with a possible move to Real in recent weeks after establishing himself as Chelsea's most important player. An English revolution could be on the horizon at the Bernabeu, with Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold also possibly joining England team-mate Jude Bellingham in Madrid next summer.
Going from City obscurity to hero status at Stamford Bridge, Palmer's development has taken the masses by surprise. Needless to say, the player's valuation today would be well above the £40m Chelsea paid for his services, but Saha doesn't blame his former side for lacking that foresight.
“In retrospect it is easy to say that Manchester United should have signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City, but at the time it was not so obvious,” said the Frenchman. “When you look at him now you can see that he lives for the game and he always wants to play and improve. He constantly proves people wrong and there are no limits to what he can achieve.
“I'm a big fan of his mentality and his consistency. United don't have that at the moment. They also have a headache with the director of football. That's not easy.”
It remains to be seen whether United will appoint a new sporting director or leave it to the remaining staff to handle transfers in the future. However, whoever is in charge will be hoping to avoid any more missed opportunities, just as Palmer slipped through the net.
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