Sam Allardyce believes Manchester City made a mistake by selling Cole Palmer, suggesting that the Chelsea star could be just as good as Jude Bellingham. The 21-year-old midfielder, who swapped the Etihad Stadium for Stamford Bridge in the summer, has enjoyed spectacular start to life with the Blues.
Palmer has featured 10 times for Mauricio Pochettino's side this season, scoring from the spot in each of his last four Premier League games. His impressive performances have already secured the west Londoners some crucial points in the race for top-four, attracting the attention of Gareth Southgate.
The England boss rewarded Palmer with a debut call-up to the Three Lions squad earlier this month before making his senior debut in a 2-0 win over Malta. After catching the eye, the Chelsea ace was handed another cap for his country against North Macedonia on Monday night.
Palmer replaced Bukayo Saka in the final minutes of the clash, but he couldn't quite find the match-winner. Nevertheless, he has certainly made a good impression, with Allardyce likening the Blues midfielder to Jude Bellingham.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former England manager questioned who else other than the Real Madrid talisman and Palmer can 'take the reins' in the England starting lineup. Allardyce said: "Who else is going to come along like Jude Bellingham and take the reins and drop into the team?
"What a fantastic player! Will it be Palmer this time? What a prospect he looks. It looks like Man City have slipped up selling him. I don't know what you think."
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE – Points deduction verdict, Toney move, FFP worst-case scenario
READ MORE: Premier League FFP decision could hand Chelsea huge Kylian Mbappe transfer problem
Prior to his move to the Santiago Bernabeu, Bellingham was subject to long-term interest from Chelsea, football.london understands. The Blues watched him during his time as an academy player at Birmingham City but, after deciding against a bid, the Bundesliga outfit swooped in and signed him instead.
Chelsea have been left to rue the decision to not sign Bellingham when they had the chance, and now he's one of the most exciting young players in Europe. Had the west Londoners managed to secure his signature and then signed Palmer too, Pochettino would have been able to build one of the strongest midfields in the Premier League.
