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FROM CHELSEA TO OLD TRAFFORD? THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SHOCK COLE PALMER RUMORS TO UTD

Discover how United plan to replace Casemiro with Wharton or Anderson and why a Kobbie Mainoo-Cole Palmer swap is being discussed.

From Chelsea to Old Trafford? The Truth Behind the Shock Cole Palmer Rumors to Utd
Would Chelsea Actually Trade Their Best Player for Kobbie Mainoo?

Man United are back in the headlines—this time, it’s all about Cole Palmer. People are talking about a huge transfer move, maybe even a swap. Would that make the deal more tempting?

They spent big last summer trying to fix their attack, but honestly, only Brian Mbeumo looks like he fits in. He’s the one who’s really stepped up and could become a fan favourite at Old Trafford.

Now Michael Carrick’s in charge, and you can see the difference. He’s brought some real spark to the front line. The whole team shape shifted, a new system was implemented, and suddenly,y things are clicking. That win over City—what a match. United dominated, and you could sense the belief. No wonder Fabrizio Romano says Carrick’s got a shot at the job long-term. Whether Carrick stays or not, whoever takes over needs proper backing.

But the squad’s still got issues. There are too many gaps, and the drop-off from best to worst in the starting eleven is just too big. Carrick’s biggest impact has been in midfield—he changed to a 4-2-3-1 and gave Bruno Fernandes a bit of freedom, so he’s not running himself into the ground every game.

Kobbie Mainoo’s back, too. He wants more minutes, and if he finds his rhythm, he can be the guy England was counting on not long ago.

January’s been quiet—only City has really splashed out, bringing in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi. United aren’t expected to do much right now, with most links pointing to summer moves. They’re looking at full-backs, but really, a proper defensive midfielder is high on the list, especially now that Casemiro’s gone.

United needs someone who can control the game from deep, take the load off Fernandes, and maybe convince him to stay instead of heading to Saudi Arabia for a payday. Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton—those names keep popping up. Ruben Neves could even be an option for just £20 million.

Then there’s the Palmer situation. His name’s come out of nowhere, and it’s got people talking. He grew up at City, sure, but now he’s doing big things at Chelsea—well, when he’s fit. He’s only 22 but already looks like a leader. This season, injuries slowed him down, and right now, he just needs to get healthy and back to his best, when people were even mentioning him for the Ballon d’Or.

Chelsea won’t want to lose Palmer, but if United puts Mainoo on the table in a swap, maybe they’d listen. Mainoo’s going to get more chances now that Amorim’s left, but he’s also one of United’s most valuable players. Selling him—since he’s come through the academy—would be pure profit and could open up space for new signings. If United landed someone like Anderson or Wharton and added Palmer, losing Mainoo might be worth it. Chelsea has shown interest before, but let’s be real—it’ll take something special to get Palmer out of Stamford Bridge.

DID LIAM ROSENIOR’S PAST AS A PUNDIT INFLUENCE HIS DEFENSIVE STRATEGY AT ARSENAL?

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior hits back at critics after a defensive approach saw the Blues exit the Carabao Cup semi-final.

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Liam Rosenior showed too much respect to Arsenal, and it cost Chelsea

Liam Rosenior stood by his cautious approach after Chelsea couldn’t overturn their first-leg deficit against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Down 3-2 from the first match, Chelsea never really put Arsenal under pressure at the Emirates. In the end, Kai Havertz—of all people—put the game to bed in stoppage time, scoring against his old club.

Rosenior switched things up, going with a back three and playing it safe. He wanted to keep the game close and try to push hard late on. He brought on Cole Palmer and Estevao around the 60th minute, hoping for a spark, but Chelsea still couldn’t carve out real chances. Arsenal just wouldn’t budge.

Pundits didn’t love Rosenior’s tactics and let him know it. He brushed it off. “I’ve been a pundit. It’s easy. It’s easy in hindsight,” he said. “If I go all-out and press high, we could give away two early goals, and then everyone asks what I’m thinking. That’s just how it is. Lose, and you’re hammered. Win, and you’re a genius. Usually, it’s somewhere in the middle.”

Chelsea were up against the league leaders, and with both Reece James and Pedro Neto missing due to minor injuries, Rosenior planned to hang in there and try to frustrate Arsenal—and maybe turn the mood in the stadium.

“That was the idea. You saw it,” he said. “I thought the psychological side of the tie mattered, and you could feel it in the stadium too. At 60 minutes, I brought on Cole and Estevao, and suddenly we had some moments around the box. I think people sensed this game could flip.”

It didn’t happen, though. Rosenior said he couldn’t fault his players for their effort, and in the end, Arsenal’s clinching goal came while Chelsea were throwing everything forward, desperate to turn things around.

IS JOãO PEDRO ACTUALLY BETTER THAN LIVERPOOL’S £79M HUGO EKITIKé? THE STATS REVEAL ALL

Liam Rosenior makes history as Chelsea win three in a row! Discover why João Pedro is the Premier League's best summer signing.

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The £60m star is proving to be Chelsea’s best BlueCo signing yet

Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over Chelsea in 2022, they've been anything but quiet in the transfer market. In just three and a half years, they've signed 54 new senior players and spent well over £1 billion.

Some of these signings haven’t even made it onto the pitch for the first team—guys like Gaga Słonina, Ângelo Gabriel, Omari Kellyman, and Caleb Wiley, just to name a few. But others have really made their mark. Think Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and, of course, Cole Palmer. Now, the question is, has one of Chelsea’s latest summer signings done enough to join that group? Is he about to become one of the Premier League’s signings of the season?

Let’s talk about Chelsea’s summer addition and what he’s bringing to the table. It’s been a great week for Liam Rosenior’s squad. On Saturday night, they were 2-0 down at halftime to West Ham at Stamford Bridge. Somehow, they turned it around and won 3-2, with Enzo Fernández scoring in stoppage time to seal it.

That win made it three league victories in a row for Rosenior. He’s now only the fourth English manager to start his Premier League career with three straight wins—joining Bobby Gould, Sam Allardyce, and Craig Shakespeare. Not bad company at all.

Just three days earlier, Chelsea booked their spot in the Champions League round of 16 after a wild 3-2 win away at Napoli. Down 2-1, João Pedro scored twice in the second half to turn the game around. The Brazilian’s goal at the weekend kicked off Chelsea’s comeback, bringing his total to 15 goals for the club—including three at the Club World Cup. So, how does he stack up against other strikers who switched clubs last summer?

Looking at the numbers, here’s how the new strikers have done since moving in the summer of 2025:

Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool, £79m): 15 goals (10 PL, 2 UCL)

João Pedro (Chelsea, £60m): 12 goals (9 PL, 3 UCL)

Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal, £54.8m): 11 goals (6 PL, 4 UCL)

Nick Woltemade (Man United, £69m): 9 goals (7 PL, 1 UCL)

Benjamin Šeško (Man City, £66.3m): 6 goals (5 PL)

Alexander Isak (Newcastle, £125m): 3 goals (2 PL)

Liam Delap (Spurs, £30m): 2 goals (1 PL, 1 UCL)

Only Ekitiké has scored more than João Pedro across all competitions, but Liverpool paid about £20m more for him than Chelsea paid for Pedro. In the whole Premier League, only Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Antoine Semenyo, and Ekitiké have more league goals than Pedro’s nine.

But stats aside, Chelsea just look more dangerous with Pedro leading the attack. Their last league defeat? He started that one on the bench at Craven Cottage. Since Rosenior took over, Pedro has started and scored in every match.

Chelsea have brought in plenty of players from Brighton during the BlueCo era, but with the way things are going, João Pedro might end up being the best of the bunch.

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