Xabi Alonso is set to take over at Stamford Bridge from interim boss Calum McFarlane but has already been dealt a blow, with many of his players likely to be looking elsewhere. The BlueCo-created bloated squad will be trimmed substantially in the next few months and some big names may depart in search of European football.
He has been linked with a move back to Manchester in recent months, having left City three years ago to spearhead Chelsea’s attack.
And the 24-year-old has already admitted that not qualifying for the Champions League means that “everything changes” at the club.
Last month, he told TNT Sports: “I believe in what the club are doing. Hopefully, I and we [Chelsea] can win a lot. If we’re not in the Champions League, a lot changes. Everything changes, really.”
Now that Chelsea did not qualify for any European competition, let alone the Champions League, we will soon find out exactly what Palmer meant by his cryptic comment.
There had been some questions over Palmer’s future at that time, but he did move to denounce the prospect of leaving Stamford Bridge.
He directly addressed the idea of returning back to Manchester, with United, in an interview with the Guardian last month. Palmer said: “Everyone just talks. When I see it I just laugh.
“Obviously Manchester is my home. All my family are there, but I don’t miss it. Maybe I’ll miss it if I don’t go for three months or something. But then when I get home I think there’s nothing there for me anyway.
“I’ve got no plans to move from Chelsea. We’ve still got a lot to play for. We’ve got the FA Cup semi-final [against Leeds] and if we finish in a Champions League spot it puts us in a good position to sign players that we need. We spoke to the owners and they’re sure of the players that are gonna do it. Reece [James] won’t sign a six-year contract if he’s not spoken to the owners and the directors.
“Me and Reece spoke a lot. About things we need, players we need to sign and how things need to be. He wouldn’t sign a new contract if he didn’t know what was going on.”
Palmer’s current contract at Chelsea runs until 2033.