Man City reject offers for ‘next Cole Palmer’ – ‘he can come back to hurt you’
Man City have become established as one of Europe’s leading producers of top talent, with the likes of Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia and Jadon Sancho all coming through their ranks.
Michael Olise, Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap have also exploded onto the scene in the Premier League after emerging from City’s academy system.
Palmer‘s exit to Chelsea has particularly stung City fans and decision-makers alike, with the Englishman reaching new heights at Stamford Bridge and becoming an established international star.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness, who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, has had his say on the cream of City’s newest crop of young stars.
Man City sensation is ‘must-have’ for Pep Guardiola after January interest
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted Man City selling in-demand midfielder James McAtee would have “come back to bite them” – just like Palmer.
City rejected £30million for McAtee from Bayer Leverkusen before the transfer window closed on Monday (3 February).
He has made 15 first-team appearances for Guardiola’s side across all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign, scoring five goals.
Wyness told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “With players like Cole Palmer, it’s come back to bite them when they’ve let them go.
“I think that would be the case with McAtee.
“He’s had a run recently and he’s proven he is a real player beyond his years.
“There’s no doubt there was interest from a number of clubs in this window, testing City to see if they’d let him go.
“I think he’s one they will hang on to. They have been bitten a bit by letting players go too early.
“It’s always tough with an academy, and I’ve been there many times deciding who you are going to keep and let go.
“I’ve been bitten a few times – players can come back to hurt you.
“McAtee is showing all the signs, but he will want first-team football. Young players are the must-haves in terms of trading.
“There was a big move towards young talent in this window, not many over 25 were traded.
“That’s what we’ll see in the summer – and it’ll be difficult for clubs to manage that.”
Man City spending to continue this summer after £180m January outlay
Wyness has previously told Football Insider that Man City can continue spending this summer despite dropping £180million on four new January arrivals.
Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush, Victor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov all arrived at the Etihad Stadium to bolster Guardiola’s squad.
The English champions sit fifth in the top flight and will need to come through a two-legged tie with Real Madrid to reach the last 16 in Europe.
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