The Sun: Chelsea didn't send Palmer to lobby Rodgers, but the two have a good relationship.

The Sun points out that Chelsea did not send Palmer to persuade Rodgers to join them, although the two are indeed very close friends. Palmer's self-created celebration has become a viral sensation, and he even registered it as a trademark. However, Rodgers was actually the first to create this celebration. The two came up with it together when they were still at Manchester City, but they both left Manchester City one after the other to secure more playing time.

Palmer no longer needs to reach out his phone to congratulate Morgan Rodgers. Whenever Rodgers scored or had a standout performance, Palmer was always the first to message him. Now, with Chelsea signing Rodgers for £117 million, a record transfer in British football, these two former Manchester City academy teammates are once again playing side-by-side at Stamford Bridge.

The former Aston Villa striker admitted that whenever he played a good game, he would always see a message from Palmer in the locker room. In an interview with Goal last year, he said, "After every game, he would be the first to message me; whenever I scored, he would also send his congratulations, knowing I would see it after the game. It's really rare to have a friend who is also doing well and always cares about you."

Despite their close personal relationship, Chelsea did not allow Palmer to persuade Rodgers to join them, even though Arsenal had long been interested in signing the player.

New manager Xabi Alonso personally launched a public relations campaign, shattering Arsenal's hopes of signing their top transfer target this summer.

If the two players have a successful career under Alonso, they will naturally have their own unique way of celebrating.

Since leaving Manchester City for West London, Palmer's self-created shivering "icy" celebration has gone viral, and he has even registered it as a trademark.

But actually, Rodgers was the one who made the first move. The two grew up together in Manchester City's youth academy, going from the England U15 team all the way to the senior team.

The Chelsea signing, who will turn 24 on Sunday, first made this shivering celebration back in December 2023 when he scored for Middlesbrough against West Bromwich Albion. A few days later, Palmer replicated his friend's celebration after scoring twice for the Blues against Luton Town.

After the match, he said, "My good brother Morgan used this celebration when he was at Middlesbrough. I told him that if I scored a goal, I would do the same. This gesture represents the joy, passion and determination for football, and it's also fun to match my name. Everyone knows that this is my signature celebration."

Rogers immediately retorted jokingly, "He copied me. This is my celebration move. Just look at the timeline and you'll see I did it first!"

This celebration was conceived by the two men when they were still at Manchester City, but they both left the club at the time to secure more playing time.

The two find it quite amusing that there's always debate about who created the move. However, Rogers also admits that nowadays, when people mention the move, the first person that comes to mind is Palmer.

The West Midlands player, who hails from Hales Owen, added: "We were just joking around, and now it's become a public spectacle. He gets asked about me in every interview, and I get asked about him all the time. It's really funny how it's gotten to this point. But to outsiders, the celebration is basically synonymous with him."

While this celebration became Palmer's trademark after his breakout season at Chelsea, we might see Rodgers making it more often if Palmer's form falters. Rodgers scored 14 goals last season, including the winning goal in the Europa League final against Aston Villa, and also provided 11 assists. Palmer, plagued by injuries last season, only managed 11 goals and 3 assists, and was therefore left out of the World Cup squad. Rodgers replaced him in the England World Cup squad, and after England returned from North America, he immediately went to London to complete his medical at Chelsea.

The two will need several more weeks before they can officially train together. Palmer will travel with Chelsea to Australia and the Far East for their preseason tour, while Rodgers will enjoy a break before rejoining the team upon their return.