“I have to leave now” Cole Palmer speaks on future with Chelsea regarding Euro 2024.

12 months ago, Cole Palmer was a Manchester City treble-winner, but he was firmly among the fringe players to make history.

Over the summer, Palmer decided he wanted to leave the Etihad, seeing Jeremy Doku arrive to cement his decision. Not even big goals in the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup could convince him to stay. If anything, it justified his thinking.

After switching City for Chelsea, he is set to back up his decision to leave with a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad. Two big performances in this week’s friendlies should lock in his place in the final 26-man squad.

Speaking to SportBible, Palmer admitted that he couldn’t have imagined being involved in the Euros when he was looking ahead last summer.

“I want to go to the Euros and be a part of the squad,” Palmer said. “I would not have imagined it [being in contention] last year. You’re sat there with all the other lads and a manager saying, ‘The aim will be to get to the senior squad’. But you’re looking at the senior squad thinking, ‘Oh, there are so many players [ahead of me]’.

“I never doubted my ability, but there were a lot of factors that have contributed to [being in contention for the final squad]. So I have surprised myself.”

25 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances for Chelsea make Palmer one of England’s most in-form attacking options, and a wildcard option for Gareth Southgate in Germany this summer.

That form earned him the Premier League Young Player of the Season award, with former teammate (and Premier League Player of the Season) Phil Foden saying that he could relate to Palmer’s frustration when he was still at City.

“It’s been the season of his life,” Foden told the Daily Mail. “With Cole, it’s effortless. Slows play down, shifts to the side, chops with fake shots. I always saw in Cole that he would score a lot of goals. You can see the instinct straight away in a player. He was one of the best in the five-a-sides [in training].