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Cole Palmer believes his impatience is paying off having flourished for Chelsea and earned a first England call-up since leaving all-conquering Manchester City in search of regular football.<\/p>\n
Part of Pep Guardiola\u2019s treble-winning squad before helping his country win the Under-21 European Championship, a more prominent role at club level looked on the cards this term.<\/p>\n
Palmer scored in the Community Shield and another in the Super Cup, but made no secret about his desire for regular action after his man-of-the-match display against Sevilla in the European curtain-raiser.<\/p>\n
It proved his final City appearance and a fortnight later the forward joined the glut of gems being collected by free-spending Chelsea in a deal worth up to \u00a342.5million, signing a seven-year deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt happened fast, to be fair,\u201d Palmer said. \u201cI spoke to someone at Chelsea and I was speaking to my dad, but I really didn\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just thinking about it for a couple of days, like near enough every minute of the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then I just thought for my career and stuff I have to go and try and get regular game time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a big move for me. I\u2019d never been out of Manchester, not even on loan or anything like that, so to move down there on my own was a big thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first went down there it was difficult, like staying in a hotel and stuff, but now I have settled in more and I\u2019m enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This season always felt important in promising Palmer\u2019s career, especially after a combination of injury and competition restricted him to just seven starts last year.<\/p>\n
The 21-year-old has already made eight in an impressive beginning to life with the Blues, leading to a first England call-up following some withdrawals from the initial selection for this month\u2019s Euro 2024 qualifiers.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously you know how good of a manager Pep is and he gave me the opportunity and the platform to kick-start my career, so I\u2019ll always be grateful to him,\u201d Palmer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho knows what would have happened if I had stayed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I would have played more, maybe not. But I think the decision that I made to go to Chelsea so far is paying off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palmer gave short shrift to a question asking him to compare Guardiola with Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino when he faced the media for the first time since his England call-up.<\/p>\n
But he was more forthcoming when it came to his current manager\u2019s ability to develop English talents, as he did with aplomb at Southampton and Tottenham.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people told me how he is with young players,\u201d Palmer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since I went to Chelsea I can see it, so I\u2019m enjoying working with him and excited to carry on working with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has given me the confidence and licence to go where I want on the pitch, where I feel I can use my strengths, so I\u2019m grateful for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palmer certainly does not lack confidence, which was abundantly clear along with his cheeky side in Sunday\u2019s stunning 4-4 draw with City.<\/p>\n
Footage went viral of the Chelsea forward pretending to listen to his former team-mates on an afternoon when he celebrated his stoppage-time spot-kick equaliser with a nonchalant shrug.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I saw the ref give the penalty, I just thought \u2018it\u2019s my time\u2019,\u201d Palmer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to Raz (Raheem Sterling). He said \u2018what\u2019s happening?\u2019 and I was like \u2018I want to take it\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was like \u2018fine\u2019 and then when I put the ball down I just tried to focus on a spot and put it there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if he felt pressure or nerves, he said: \u201cNot really, to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt I was waiting for a while and obviously I did think about my old club and stuff but after that not really.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a crazy game. I did feel a bit nervous before and a bit weird to see everyone from the club I\u2019ve been at for 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when the game started it felt normal and it was a good game.\u201d<\/p>\n
More positive news awaited him when he waded through the myriad of messages on his phone after returning to the Stamford Bridge dressing room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got the message near enough straightaway after the match,\u201d he said of his maiden England call-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut my phone was going crazy because I have got some City fans that are my mates and family and all that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read it and then like I read it again, so it was confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just rang my dad straight away and he was with my mum, so I told them first.\u201d<\/p>\n