Former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys has criticised Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for selling Cole Palmer after the midfielder played a pivotal role in Chelsea winning the Club World Cup final on Sunday night.

The 23-year-old scored a brace in the first 30 minutes to help the Blues secure a shock 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Remarking on Palmer’s ‘cold’ goal celebration, Keys slammed Guardiola for freezing the player out and selling him. He now feels the player is worth nearly 5 times the £42.5m he was sold for:

“Has Cole Palmer’s celebration got anything to do with being frozen out at City? What a shocking decision that was by Guardiola. The kid must be worth £200m now – priceless to Chelsea.”

Palmer’s form has been erratic

Keys’ comments are a classic case of recency bias. It should not be forgotten that Palmer failed to score a league goal from open play in the second half of last season.

Palmer is undoubtedly an excellent player but his form since the beginning of 2025 has been up and down, to say the least. He certainly turned up for the Club World Cup final.

City fans will hope Cherki can fill the void

Many would argue that, if Palmer had been slightly more patient, he would have got the regular time he was seeking at the Etihad.

Kevin De Bruyne’s injury problems last season and his departure meant there was a big gap to fill in midfield, and Palmer could have easily taken his place.

It is now up to one of City’s newest signings, Rayan Cherki, to take up the mantle instead. The Frenchman is clearly a talented player but it remains to be seen whether he can be a consistent, creative force for Guardiola’s team.

In other news, Man City are reportedly set to trigger the buyout clause in an Argentinian winger’s contract