England winger Cole Palmer, who had just returned to training after spending two months sidelined with a groin injury, has suffered another unexpected blow. On Wednesday night, Palmer fractured his finger after accidentally slamming a door at his home. Although initially ruled out for a week, BBC reports suggest the 23-year-old may be out longer.
Chelsea now face a challenging run of fixtures without one of their most influential players. The Blues are set to play Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, followed by a crucial Champions League showdown against Barcelona on Tuesday, and a league clash with Arsenal the following week.
Head coach Enzo Maresca expressed deep concern about Palmer’s availability, saying,
“I’m not sure he’ll be ready for Saturday. He’s unlikely to play against Barcelona or Arsenal either.”
He added that the freak injury has come at the worst possible time for the team.
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒋𝒐𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.”
Despite his absence, Maresca believes the squad must adapt and find solutions until Palmer returns. Chelsea have performed well in recent weeks, but remain more dangerous when the winger is fit.
Chelsea’s Form Without Palmer
Palmer admitted that recovery has been physically tough for him.
“I kept waking up at night — my head, my legs, everything. These things happen,” he said, reflecting on the long recovery period.
The England international last appeared in Chelsea’s 2–1 loss to Manchester United on September 20. Since then, the team has played 11 matches, winning eight and losing two. Chelsea currently sit third in the Premier League table and will hope Palmer’s return is not delayed further as the season intensifies.
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