Manchester City issued a Cole Palmer warning as City boss Pep Guardiola is instructed to sell off two major players

The Citizens have been cautioned against replicating the error they committed by selling Cole Palmer by permitting older players to depart and transition to the next generation.

According to former Citizen Bacary Sagna, Manchester City must refrain from selling potential stars such as Cole Palmer and offloading ageing talent such as Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson.

The sale of Palmer to a direct rival in Chelsea last summer raised a few eyebrows and has since raised even more, given his exceptional goal-involvement haul in west London and his Euro 2024 exploits for England.

The £42.5 million fee that City paid for Palmer appeared to be somewhat excessive; however, the star forward has repaid the fee and more. City have been cautioned against allowing other youthful talent to depart, as they may find themselves in a comparable predicament.

Sagna, a former City defender, is of the opinion that the key to retaining youthful players on the club’s roster is to provide them with opportunities, which Palmer found to be scarce. The sale of declining talent would increase the availability of such opportunities, and other youthful people could be purchased.

Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis have both accrued significant first-team minutes in recent seasons and have demonstrated promising potential for Pep Guardiola’s team.

Nevertheless, the sale of players such as De Bruyne and Ederson, whom Sagna identified as essential departures, could create an opportunity to acquire or completely develop other young talent, as Palmer has done at Stamford Bridge.

Sagna was interviewed by Paddy Power and stated, “Manchester City may need to bring in younger players. Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson are ageing, and they have won everything.” They have been associated with City for an extended period of time and may wish to undergo a transition.

“If I were in charge of City, I would provide more opportunities to young players, including Oscar Bobb, who are eager to demonstrate their potential.”

“I believe that it could be an opportunity for Manchester City to acquire new players, and I believe that it would be beneficial for De Bruyne and Ederson to relocate to Saudi Arabia.”

Palmer is not the only world-class talent that City’s academy has produced. The Manchester club’s youth system has been instrumental in the success of Phil Foden, Jeremie Frimpong, and Jadon Sancho, all of whom have made international headlines at some stage in their young careers.

Sagna believes that these players, as well as any prospective wonderkid incomings, may never see game time at the Etihad if their positions are taken up by older players who have nearly outlived their welcome. The club’s current young stars and new signings could be facilitated by the reasonable fees that Ederson and De Bruyne would fetch if they were to depart for Saudi Arabia.

Sagna is of the opinion that City could benefit from the error they committed with Palmer by allocating valuable minutes to inexperienced players, thereby facilitating their growth into superstars.