Best XI of stars Pep Guardiola has sold at Man City as he is told he made ‘mistake’ letting £40m forward go
PEP GUARDIOLA has sold an exceptional amount of talented players since becoming Manchester City manager.
Martin Keown has now suggested that the Spaniard might have been "wrong" by adding Cole Palmer to that list.
Palmer, 21, left Manchester City in the summer as he joined Chelsea in a £42.5million transfer.
The attacking midfielder had struggled for game time at the Etihad but has become a star in West London and scored the winning goal against Fulham.
The England international has netted nine goals in 17 Premier League outings and has been the Blues' standout performer this season.
Former Arsenal star Keown, 57, has suggested that Palmer should not have been allowed to leave City.
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He said on talkSPORT: “He [Palmer] is icy cool.
"When you see him take the penalty you can see him sort of going, ‘Fantastic, this is my moment, give us the ball’ - a lot of other players would be shirking that responsibility.
"Would you say Pep got this wrong? Should he have allowed him to come here to Chelsea?
“But it’s just as well he came here, because if he didn't come to Chelsea you wonder where they might be this season, because he’s the player doing everything, pulling all the strings, and at such a young man playing with a nice arrogance.
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“It’s only Man City, really, who can allow a player of this calibre to go and leave their club and it does not affect their performances.
"He could rescue Chelsea’s season this year.”
Palmer is the latest high-profile player that City have sold since the arrival of Guardiola.
Here is a star-studded team that were axed by the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager.
GK - Joe Hart
Joe Hart spent a decade at City before he was axed by Guardiola.
The former England star was loaned out to Torino and West Ham before he made his permanent exit to Burnley in 2018.
Hart joined Celtic in 2021 following a short spell at Tottenham Hotspur.
LB - Oleksandr Zinchenko
The Ukrainian left Manchester City in 2022 as he moved to Arsenal.
The utility player has proved to be an important member of the Gunners team under Mikel Arteta.
Zinchenho has played in Arsenal's midfielder but has excelled as an inverted left-back in Arteta's system.
CB - Aymeric Laporte
Aymeric Laporte was a vital member of City's team for three seasons after his arrival from Athletico Bilbao.
However, he fell down the pecking order due to injuries and the arrival of Ruben Dias.
The Spaniard left the club last summer as he linked up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi outfit Al-Nassr.
CB - Nicolas Otamendi
Nicolas Otamendi spent five seasons with Manchester City and won two Premier League titles.
He was sold to Benfica in 2020 as part of the deal that saw Dias move to the Etihad.
He was part of the Argentina team that won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
RB - Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro was sold by Manchester City when he was just 22, having never played a Premier League game for the club.
The full-back excelled on loan at Sporting Lisbon and made the move permanent.
Porro continued his development and moved to Tottenham in January in a deal worth £39m.
CDM - Douglas Luiz
Like Porro, Douglas Luiz never played a league game for the Citizens during his two-year spell at the club.
The midfielder developed brilliantly during a loan spell at LaLiga outfit Girona.
Aston Villa moved for the Brazilian in 2019, and he has gone on to become one of the best midfielders in England's top flight.
CDM - Romeo Lavia
Romeo Lavia was one of the top transfer targets for clubs last summer before completing his £50m move to Chelsea.
The midfielder only left City in 2022 as he joined Southampton and became a shining light in the relegated team.
Lavia has yet to make his mark at the Blues this season due to injuries which have limited him to one Premier League appearance.
LW - Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling was one of Chelsea's big summer signings in 2022 following the takeover of Todd Boehly.
The winger won four Premier League titles at Manchester City and scored 131 goals in 339 appearances for the club.
Sterling had a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge but has started to look like his old self this campaign.
CAM - Cole Palmer
Palmer joined Chelsea last summer and has quickly started to show the potential that was thought of him at City.
The attacker has become one of the most exciting players in the league and earned his first call to the England team.
Should Palmer continue to perform at his current level, then selling him could start to look like a mistake.
RW - Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez was another one of the many stars to leave European football to move to the Saudi Pro League, like Laporte.
The Algerian arrived at City from Leicester City and won five league titles and a Champions League trophy.
Mahrez joined Al-Ahli in a £30m transfer and has continued his high level of performance with nine goals in 20 appearances.
ST - Gabriel Jesus
Like Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus left City for Arsenal to play under Arteta.
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The Brazilian has been able to improve the Gunners' frontline with his link-up play.
However, the striker has seen his time on the pitch limited by injury since his £45m switch.
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