Pep Guardiola may be one of the greatest footballing minds of all time, but Danny Murphy thinks he dropped the ball with Cole Palmer.
Palmer has been sensational this season after making the leap from three-time winners Manchester City to mid-table Chelsea in the summer, and he showed his class and more in their last outing.
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In the space of just 16 minutes in the first half, Palmer scored a stunning hat-trick to put Chelsea in charge at home to Everton on Monday night. Nicolas Jackson scored the fourth to put them 4-0 up at halftime.
Palmer wasn’t done after the break as his penalty saw him score his fourth and Chelsea’s fifth of the night in what was a dominant 6-0 win for them with 20-year-old Alfie Gilchrist scoring his first ever goal at Chelsea at the end of the match.
The latest exploits see Palmer score his 25th goal this season, 20 in the Premier League, with many claiming he is the Premier League signing of the season.
And with Manchester City not always getting their way this season, Murphy suggested Guardiola’s decision to let the 21-year-old leave may have been short-sighted.
“We praise what Pep Guardiola did for this game, but he was wrong. Pep made a mistake selling this kid,” Murphy said in commentary for talkSPORT.
Guardiola may not have seen the best in Palmer, but Murphy is desperate for England boss Gareth Southgate to take advantage of the player’s brilliant abilities.
And while Palmer has just two appearances under his belt for the England senior team, Murphy feels ready to play a key role for the Three Lions at Euro 2024.
“I was so impressed with him and his temperament. I [start him] if I was Gareth,” Murphy told talkSPORT.
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“I’d have Bellingham and Rice and I’d have Palmer as a No.10, Foden and Saka wide, Kane up top and I’d go to hell for the leather.”
“Play Bellingham a little closer to Rice, ‘go do your thing and if we’re under pressure, come back.’ He has wonderful toughness and athleticism.
“I know it takes away his attacking abilities, but we don’t have another midfielder as fast, strong and tenacious as Bellingham to play alongside Rice anyway.”
