Man City legend urges Cole Palmer to ditch "Toxic" Chelsea for a better club

Palmer has faced a challenging season, hampered by a persistent groin injury that kept him out for up to 12 weeks. 

His performance has also been affected by Chelsea's poor campaign, which has left them on the verge of missing out on Champions League football.

Despite his poor season, he has been linked with a move away from the Blues, with Manchester United interested in signing the midfielder.

Barry believes the persistent instability at Stamford Bridge might compel the England international to consider a move.

The ex-Manchester City midfielder voiced his apprehension that the turbulent dressing room at Chelsea is hindering the growth of its most talented players. 

Barry implied that for Palmer to fulfill his potential, he might need to seek opportunities at a more stable club.

"Any player wants to be playing in a settled dressing room at a settled club," Barry told Midnite. "If you’re in a dressing room that is perhaps slightly toxic, it is hard to go into training and perform every day, it’s not nice."

Barry elaborated on how quickly negativity can spread within a squad. "We all know the dressing room is so strong if you get two or three players starting to doubt the manager’s beliefs or his methods, it naturally creeps in," he explained. 

"If those few players aren’t happy, they’re not going to be performing at the levels they can... and it can leak into the whole team’s performance."

Barry contends that the absence of a clear long-term strategy at Chelsea will eventually test any player's resolve.

"Any player, Cole Palmer and others, if they aren’t seeing a long-term settled future at Chelsea, it’s natural for them and their agents to start looking and thinking ‘where can we go and achieve things’ in what ultimately is a quick career as a football player," Barry added.