Chelsea beat West Ham United to the signing of Cole Palmer – Fabrizio Romano
West Ham United were beaten to the signing of former Manchester City midfielder Cole Palmer by Chelsea this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The transfer specialist reported via his Daily Briefing Column on Tuesday (24 October) that the Hammers and Brighton were both interested in signing the England youth international before Mauricio Pochettino’s side bought the 21-year-old.
Chelsea were ready to pay a large fee that neither West Ham nor the Seagulls were prepared to pay during the summer transfer window and that made the Blues the preferred destination for both Palmer and Manchester City.
Romano believes that Palmer was ready and equipped to play regularly at the Etihad Stadium but Pep Guardiola was always willing to allow him to depart this summer, should the right offer be made only for Chelsea to foot the bill rather than the Hammers.
Right call
West Ham strengthened their midfield excellently this summer even without the addition of Palmer to their ranks, with James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez both hitting the ground running since joining David Moyes’ side at the London Stadium.
Ward-Prowse in particular has been in inspired form for the Hammers since arriving from Southampton, scoring twice and assisting a further three times in the Premier League while also picking up a further three assists in two Europa League matches.
Palmer has impressed at Stamford Bridge, scoring twice and picking up a single assist in seven Premier League appearances, but after costing Chelsea an initial £40 million [Sky Sports], the Blues will be expecting him to improve in the coming weeks of the season.
Ward-Prowse cost the Hammers less and has offered a quicker fix to their midfield problems and after West Ham lost Declan Rice in the summer, they needed players who could immediately discover some form, rather than invest in longer-term prospects.
There is every chance that in years to come, Irons supporters will be regretting missing out on the 21-year-old if he has the career that many expect him to, but currently, the Hammers aren’t in the position to be spending that sort of money on still unproven talent.
In other West Ham news, Irons scouts have been to watch Greece and AZ Alkmaar striker Vangelis Pavlidis