Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has announced that midfielder Cole Palmer has suffered a fractured toe due to an incident at home, sidelining him for a significant period of time. The 23-year-old was on the verge of returning from a groin injury but will now miss crucial matches, starting with Saturday’s Premier League clash against Burnley. He will also be unavailable for Chelsea’s midweek Champions League fixture against Barcelona and the subsequent home match against Arsenal.
Maresca provided the update on Palmer during a press conference, stating, “He is not available for tomorrow for sure, Barcelona for sure, Arsenal for sure. Unfortunately, he had an accident at home two days ago and he hit his toe, but it is nothing important. But for sure he is not back.” He further confirmed the injury is a fracture and stressed that while injuries can occur unexpectedly, the focus now is on Palmer’s recovery.
This latest injury comes after Palmer had already missed two months of action due to a groin issue. Maresca highlighted that the midfielder was close to making a comeback, expressing optimism about his earlier progress and disappointment over this new setback.
Despite Palmer’s absence, Chelsea has performed commendably, winning five of their last seven matches and climbing to third place in the league standings. Maresca emphasized the team’s strengths but acknowledged that “the teammates are better players with Cole playing,” underlining the importance of Palmer to the squad. He expressed a commitment to finding solutions in his absence but reiterated that Chelsea’s performance is enhanced with the talented midfielder on the pitch.
Alongside Palmer, Chelsea will also be without Benoît Badiashile, who is dealing with a muscular problem, while Enzo Fernández (knee) and Pedro Neto (groin) are expected to be available for the upcoming match against Burnley.