Cole Palmer was given unique contract by Chelsea no other Premier League player had before Man City intervention

Cole Palmer was handed one of the most unique contracts in Premier League history, only to be usurped five months later.

Palmer left Manchester City in 2023 after winning the treble, signing for Chelsea in a £40 million switch that surprised many - including former Manchester United captain Gary Neville.

However, Palmer quickly became the main man for the Blues and in his first season, scored 22 goals and registered 11 assists in the Premier League - winning the PFA Young Player of the Year.

He had already signed a seven-year contract with the option of another year but his meteoric rise, which saw him star for England at Euro 2024, led to Chelsea extending the deal.

Palmer penned a new two-year extension to tie him down until 2033, as well as being handed a significant salary increase.

Cole Palmer has grown into Chelsea's most important player. Image: Getty

The contract was the longest contract in the history of Premier League but it didn't last too long, In January 2025, Palmer's former teammate Erling Haaland put pen to paper on a record-breaking 10-year contract at City.

Haaland's initial deal ran until 2027 after he signed a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, but he bagged fresh terms until the summer of 2034 - at which point the Norwegian will be 34 years of age.

The news was a massive statement from City, with many feeling as though it laid down a marker ahead of the 115 charges verdict with the Premier League.

Though elsewhere in football and other sports long-term contracts are a regular occurence, Todd Boehly and Chelsea broke new ground in England with their approach, with Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson among those to sign for an extended period.

Todd Boehly started the trend of big contracts in the Premier League. Image: Getty

It has been claimed that the deal offer a smart way to get around Premier League financial rules as player amortisation - the amount per year that clubs pay for a player over the course of their contract - can be listed in their accounts as a lower sum.

Longest ever contracts in football

Andres Iniesta

Barcelona

Lifetime

Iker Casillas

Real Madrid

Lifetime

Raul

Real Madrid

Lifetime

Denilson

Real Betis

10 years

Lionel Messi

Barcelona

Nine years

Cole Palmer

Chelsea

Nine years

Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea

Nine years

Inaki Williams

Athletic Bilbao

Nine years

Mykhailo Mudryk

Chelsea

Eight-and-a-half years

Cesc Fabregas

Arsenal

Eight years

Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea

Eight years (extended by two years in summer of 2024)

Palmer more than justified his new deal by firing Chelsea to the Conference League trophy and scoring twice as they blitzed Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to win the Club World Cup last week.