Cole Palmer believes his agonising decision to leave boyhood club Manchester City for Chelsea is paying off after he was named in the England squad for the first time.
Palmer, 21, joined the Blues in a surprise £42.5million summer deal and capped a fine start to life in London with a 96th-minute equaliser against his former club on Sunday, immediately followed by a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad.
The rangy forward will be aiming to make his senior debut in Friday's game against Malta at Wembley or the visit to North Macedonia on Monday, as England wrap up qualifying for next summer's European Championship.
Palmer revealed he deliberated non-stop for "a couple of days" after Chelsea's approach but says he decided to make the move for the sake of his career.
"It was a big move for me, I'd never been out of Manchester, not even on loan or anything like that, so to move down there on my own was a big thing," he said.
"When I first went down there it was difficult, I was staying in a hotel but now I have settled in more and I'm enjoying it.
"It happened so fast. I spoke to someone at Chelsea and I was speaking to my dad but I really didn’t know what to do. I was thinking about it for a couple of days, every minute of the day and then I thought for my career I have to go and get regular game time.
"It was a really tough decision. But the competition that's [at City], the players that were there, the players that they were going to try to sign... I wasn't sure.
"I don’t think [England recognition] was a big part of it to be honest, I wasn’t even thinking of an England call up when I first went to Chelsea, I just wanted to play more games and have an opportunity to prove [myself]. Getting called up is just a bonus.
"Obviously you know how good of a manager [City's] Pep Guardiola is and he gave me the opportunity and platform to kickstart my career so I'll always be grateful to him. Who knows what would have happened if I had stayed. Maybe I would have played more, maybe not.
"But I think the decision to go to Chelsea so far is paying off."
Palmer revealed a phone call with Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino helped persuade him and says the Argentine has given him confidence and freedom on the pitch.
"I spoke to him before [the move] once and it was a good phone call, so I decided to go," he said.
"A lot of people told me how he is with young players and since I went to Chelsea I can see it. I’m enjoying working with him and I’m excited to carry on.
"He has given me the confidence and licence to go where I want on the pitch, where I feel I can use my strengths so I’m grateful for it."
Palmer was ice cool from the penalty spot to earn Chelsea a last-gasp 4-4 draw with City in Sunday's thriller in west London and equally calm in the aftermath, celebrating with a shrug as Stamford Bridge erupted.
"When I saw the ref give [the penalty] I thought ‘it's my time’," he said. "I spoke to Raz [Raheem Sterling] and I was like, ‘I wanna take it’.
"I didn't really feel nervous to be honest. I felt I was waiting for a while. So I did think about my old club and stuff, but after that not really.
"It was a crazy game. I did feel a bit nervous before and it felt weird to see everyone from my old club. But when the game started it felt normal.
"I spent 15 years at the club, I can’t really go and celebrate how I would [normally] celebrate if I have scored a 95th minute equaliser because it would have been disrespectful so I just decided to do a shrug. I don’t know why."
He added: "I got the message [with my England call-up] right after the match. My phone was going crazy as I have city fans who are my mates and I have family and stuff. But then I read it and read it again. It was confirmed. I rang my dad straight away and he was with my mum so I told them.
"I would love to go to the Euros but just got to play well at club level first, all the attackers are amazing players so there a lot of competition. But hopefully I can just show what I can do."
