Dwight Yorke against Arsenal/Getty images
There have been rumors that Cole Palmer could sign for Arsenal next season, considering Chelsea are currently struggling while Arsenal are thriving.
This rumor has left pundits trying to weigh in on the situation, with some outrightly displaying their biased side. One of these pundits is Dwight Yorke
Now, I can’t help but roll my eyes at Dwight Yorke’s recent comments telling Chelsea star Cole Palmer to avoid a move to Arsenal.
The former Manchester United striker basically said there’s “no point” in Palmer moving to Arsenal since “they’re not winning any trophies either.”
Come on, Yorke. That’s some utterly weak reasoning right there, made even more ridiculous when he adds, “I’d love Manchester United to sign him.”
You can obviously smell the jealousy coming out of those remarks. Despite United’s current struggles and major trophy droughts in recent years, Yorke is despairing for Palmer’s signature at Old Trafford instead of considering a move to the Emirates.
While Arsenal fell short in last season’s title race, finishing second to Man City, there are notable strides under Mikel Arteta. With just four games left, they currently lead the Premier League pack even though City have a game in hand, which puts them in a pole position to end that trophy drought Yorke looks so obsessed with.
For Palmer, who has accomplished beyond expectations, thanks to his 20 goals and 10 assists this season, the opportunity to lead Arsenal’s charge for silverware should be considered an enticing prospect and not something to be shrugged off entirely because of some ex-player’s jealousy.
Yorke’s opinion stinks of the kind of bias you’d imagine from a United old boy having trouble accepting Arsenal’s revival. His desperate appeal for Palmer to dodge the Gunners and instead sign for a fallen giant like United is just laughable.
Let’s not forget Arsenal have the pedigree. With 13 league titles and 14 FA Cups plus several community shields, we’ve got a demonstrated track record of being competitive and winning that Yorke suitably underestimates with his ignorant, jealousy-tinted take.
What he said
This is what Dwight Yorke said when Speaking to Crypto Casino, as reported by football.london:
“There would be no point in Cole Palmer leaving Chelsea for Arsenal because they’re not winning any trophies either; it wouldn’t make any difference. He wouldn’t go to Liverpool, which will be transitioning under a new manager and team.”
“Palmer needs to stay at Chelsea and become the top dog of the club, build his reputation, and be the man to move the club forward. Sometimes, players can be quick to move to a more successful or bigger club, but players can be the main man to take these clubs up a level.”
“At Liverpool, he won’t ever be a bigger player than Mo Salah or Virgil van Dijk. My advice for Palmer is to stay at Chelsea. Imagine Zinedine Zidane goes to Chelsea next year and Palmer leaves; it wouldn’t work out for him.”
“I’d love Manchester United to sign him, but I don’t think that will be the case because of his Manchester City connection, he’s too young to deal with that. Also, it’s only his first full professional season, let’s see if he can do it over multiple years.”
At the end of the day, Yorke’s cautionary take to Palmer on signing for Arsenal doesn’t matter. We have a talented young squad that has shown they can compete with the best and have a convincing chance of winning a trophy this season.
For a professional footballer evaluating his options, that’s more appealing than the lop-sided, spiteful opinion of a pundit still living on their past glory.