Cole Palmer has been nothing short of a revelation at Chelsea, but that hasn't stopped his long-term future at the club being cast into doubt.
The 22-year-old has blossomed into one of European football's most electrifying stars since his 2023 move from Manchester City, and Chelsea fans are understandably enamoured with him. Because of their on-field success and financial strength, the Blues have rarely had to worry about their top players being pinched.
However, if they fail to re-establish themselves as title contenders soon, rivals clubs might sense an opportunity to pry players like Palmer away from Stamford Bridge. That said, ex-Chelsea and City star Shaun Wright-Phillips says there's "no chance" of a Palmer departure any time soon.
"Even if Chelsea miss out on the Champions League, there's not a chance Cole Palmer leaves," the 43-year-old told BetVictor. "I think he's found his home and Chelsea will do everything in their power to keep him for as long as possible."
He also insisted a parting of ways would be "a big mistake" for both player and club. "If they let him go, it would be a big mistake on their behalf," Wright-Phillips added.
"At his age and with his quality, he's the player they should be building the team around. If they can give him as much freedom as possible going forwards and as little work to do defensively, then he'll only keep getting better."
Chelsea have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League this season under Enzo Maresca, as they sit fourth in the table going into Friday night's Premier League trip to Brighton – less than a week after they were dumped out of the FA Cup there following a 2-1 loss.
Like Palmer, Wright-Phillips joined Chelsea from City in his early 20s. He won the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first two seasons in west London, but largely struggled for form and game-time.
The departure of Arjen Robben in 2007 pushed Wright-Phillips up the pecking order, but that didn't stop him from seizing the opportunity to return to City in 2008. During his three-year tenure at Stamford Bridge, he made 125 appearances and netted 10 goals.
In 2020, Wright-Phillips confessed to FourFourTwo that he was "emotionally broken" after his move to Chelsea, having intended to spend his entire career at City. "Chelsea made a bid for me and City said they were accepting it. I took it as, 'OK, obviously you don't want me at the club any more," he revealed.
"On the way down to London, I cried like I was 12. I cried for an hour - I was emotionally broken. A few months later, I found out the truth behind what happened: City had no choice but to sell me, because they were possibly about to go into administration or something along those lines."
He added: "Chelsea was a new chapter in my life. I loved it there and the supporters were tremendous with me. I had some tough times, but they always cheered for me."
Palmer, who dedicated 13 years to Manchester City, never envisioned leaving the club either. However, facing limited playing time at the Etihad and with no loan options on the table, he felt compelled to make a move.
"I wasn't even gonna go [to] Chelsea. I got persuaded," Palmer told GQ last November. "I just knew I wasn't going to play as much as I wanted to. Even when I was going to England [camps] with younger age groups, you had players there who were playing in the league every week. And you're looking around thinking, I can play in the league. When you're not playing, it's annoying."
And in a candid chat with Sky Sports back last March, Palmer – whose current contract runs until 2033 following an extension penned in August – opened up about his decision to join the Blues, saying: "I thought I was ready to play football week in, week out and that's the reason [I joined Chelsea].
"I just wanted to showcase my ability and thankfully it has paid off. It was a very difficult decision to leave City, I was there since six years old. I was ready to play football, had a chat with my family, had a chat with the club and moved to Chelsea."