The cunning £43m transfer trick Chelsea want to repeat as they look to sign next Cole Palmer

Chelsea have been linked with another young attacking star this summer - will lightning strike twice?

It’s fair to say that quite a few things have gone wrong in the transfer market for Chelsea over the course of the last couple of years, but for all the cash they’ve squandered and the colossal contracts they’ve dished out, they were also responsible for one of the biggest hits in recent transfer history – the £42.5m signing of Cole Palmer from Manchester City.

It may have been a lot of money for an unproven player but it turned out to be both a masterstroke on Chelsea’s part and a huge mistake by City, so perhaps it’s no surprise that new head coach Enzo Maresca and his club’s hyperactive transfer team are hoping to repeat the trick – at least if Chelsea News writer Simon Phillips has his facts right.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

According to him, Chelsea have made enquiries regarding City’s 21-year-old Norwegian winger Oscar Bobb, who broke into the first team last year, making two Premier League starts and 12 substitute appearances. No transfer fee has been agreed or even suggested in the report, but it looks as though Chelsea are hoping that lightning strikes twice.

There’s little doubt regarding Bobb’s talent. A sublime technician who can rung rings around defenders with impunity, the diminutive winger can play on either flank and is blessed with the kind of swift and shifty movement that makes marking him a nightmare. Minute for minute, he created more shooting chances, was a more accurate passer and beat more players on the dribble than Palmer did last year. The sample size is small, but the raw numbers he put up in his rather limited opportunities were hard to argue with.

It's easy to see why Chelsea would want him, especially given their apparent addiction to signing young talent – in 2024 alone, they are reported to have spent over £100m on Under-21s, including the future arrivals of Kendry Páez and Estevão Willian. Bobb would simple be adding to an existing strategy of signing young and in bulk in the hopes of having a team which will stay together and compete at the top level for years on end. It’s all a little bit Football Manager, but there’s a certain dubious logic at play which certainly worked out when Palmer arrived. Just as I finish this paragraph, they just gone and announced another similar signing in Aaron Anselmino - the Blues are both releent

For the Citizens, it’s a question of whether they are willing to risk making the same mistake twice. Few young players get minutes under Pep Guardiola, and since he took the reins at the Etihad only Phil Foden has fully transitioned from youth team to senior regular. Bobb is in the same boat as Rico Lewis and Palmer before him – getting fewer minutes than his talent perhaps deserves because the players ahead of him are simply that good. The summer signing of Savinho to compete for minutes on the left wing will not have helped.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chelsea, meanwhile, have at least been pretty good at letting youngsters get their chance, although it’s fair to point out that their various managers have little choice considering that the average squad age is only slightly higher than most nurseries. But Palmer was given space to shine and did so, as did Noni Madueke towards the end of last season, and there is little inherent reason to believe that Bobb wouldn’t get the same opportunity – and just as little reason to believe that he wouldn’t grab it with both hands.

This is the downside of Manchester City’s success – for all that they have substantially increased investment in the youth squad in recent years, it has only become harder for young players to build a career there. It’s also the upside of Chelsea’s failures – young talent knows it will get a go at Stamford Bridge, and probably be paid over the odds at the same time.

Bobb has scored twice and assisted three times in what has otherwise been a rather disappointing pre-season for Guardiola and his team – and against Celtic, in particular, he was quite brilliant despite a 4-3 defeat, running rings around the opposition. He also scored, as it happened, against Chelsea, in Manchester City’s only win of the summer. It may well be that he’s done enough to persuade the manager to give him a real go as a starting player this season, but that would still require him to displace much more experienced and decorated players. One would criticise City if they let him leave, but perhaps not the player if he wanted to.

Will this deal happen? It’s hard to say – we have just one source for it so far and even though it would fit in with the way both clubs involved operate, there is still limited information. But Bobb looks every bit like he will become a brilliant player, and Chelsea would likely be doing some very sharp business if they signed him. Let’s just wait and see if City are ready to get hurt again.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice