Mauricio Pochettino admits Cole Palmer signing was not his idea
- Chelsea confirmed signing of Cole Palmer from Manchester City on deadline day
- Versatile winger joined for initial £40m fee
- Mauricio Pochettino claimed club hierarchy decided on transfer
By Sean Walsh
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that while he is looking forward to working with new signing Cole Palmer, it was the club hierarchy's idea to bring him in from Manchester City.
Palmer completed his initial £40m move to the Blues on transfer deadline day, leaving boyhood club Man City after first joining their youth ranks 13 years ago.
Pep Guardiola teased in August that the 21-year-old could leave on a permanent deal, with Chelsea ramping up their interest late in the month and finalising his signing on Friday.
Palmer is expected to be unveiled at Stamford Bridge on Saturday prior to Chelsea's clash with Nottingham Forest. At his pre-match press conference, Pochettino was asked about the details of the deal.
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"I think the sporting director [Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley] and the owner [Todd Boehly] of course, but the sporting director, it was his idea to add him to the squad. I think he's fit for the project. Talented player, of course," Pochettino said.
"Also he decided to come because he expects to play maybe more and be important here but I think that is not the most important. He decided to come because Chelsea is a project for him and improve his game and going to be more involved in every single game.
"I think the quality is there, it's great potential and of course now he needs to settle here and prove and show that he’s better than his teammates and to play. It's hard to fight for his place."
Palmer was Chelsea's 12th and final signing of another busy transfer window, with Boehly's expenditure during his tenure as co-owner and chairman surpassing the £1bn mark.
LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST
On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss the deals that did and didn't happen on deadline day. They talk over Ryan Gravenberch's move to Liverpool, why Joao Palhinha didn't join Bayern Munich, Sofyan Amrabat's loan to Man Utd and more.
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