Chelsea have faced an unexpected setback with the news that Cole Palmer will be sidelined for at least another week after sustaining an injury at home. The 23-year-old was on the brink of returning from a two-month absence due to a groin issue but has now fractured his small toe after accidentally stubbing it against a door on Wednesday night. This injury has delayed his return to full training.
Manager Enzo Maresca confirmed that Palmer will miss several upcoming fixtures, including this Saturday’s Premier League match against Burnley, the Champions League encounter with Barcelona, and next weekend’s home game against Arsenal. “He is probably not available for Saturday for sure, Barcelona for sure, or Arsenal for sure,” Maresca stated. “Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe. It is nothing serious, but he won’t be back in the next week. I’ve woken up many times during the night—I’ve hit my head, my legs, everything—so it can happen.”
Palmer has not played since Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United on September 20. During his absence, the team has competed in 11 matches across all competitions, securing eight victories and suffering two defeats. This performance has kept Chelsea firmly in the top three of the Premier League. Nonetheless, Maresca emphasized Palmer’s importance to the team’s dynamics, saying, “I think that his teammates are better players with Cole playing. I feel much better when Cole is on the pitch, and we all want Cole on the pitch. At the same time, when Cole is not on the pitch, we need to find a solution. The team is doing very well, but we are better with Cole. He was almost back with us.”
In Palmer’s absence, Chelsea will regain several options, with Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto, and Benoit Badiashile all set to be available for the trip to Turf Moor. Maresca also addressed the status of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, who remain in Chelsea’s “bomb squad,” although Disasi trained briefly with the first team during the recent international break. “Axel and Raheem are Chelsea players,” he noted. “Axel is helping the second team; he’s assisting the younger players. During the international break, we had just five or six players here, so we needed some second-team players. Axel was part of some sessions with second-team players, but I think it was just one session with us.”
