According to sources, talismanic Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer won’t be able to play again until November due to a groin injury. Palmer was substituted early in the team’s 2-1 loss against Manchester United on September 20th due to a persistent problem that had been plaguing him for a while. In the days that followed, manager Enzo Maresca acknowledged that the 23-year-old needed “protecting” from an ever-increasing workload, which included playing in the Club World Cup this summer.
Although Maresca has often declined to provide a specific timeframe for Palmer’s comeback, he did express in late September his desire to see him play right away following the October international break.
Nevertheless, a meeting at Chelsea has determined that Palmer will not be well enough to return until November; it is unclear exactly when he will set foot on the field once more. The Athletic is among several newspapers to report this.
Palmer, who is considered to be among the best in his position, will miss Premier League games against Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup fourth round, and a Champions League matchup with Dutch powerhouse Ajax due to even that brief addition to his recovery schedule.
Palmer’s absence is a clear setback for Chelsea, who are also attempting to manage a defense that has descended into a full-blown crisis. Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo were unable to play in last weekend’s exciting late victory against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, and Levi Colwill will be out for a lengthy time due to an ACL tear.
Alternatives After that, Reece James withdrew from England’s international duty after reporting to camp with an injury, while Josh Acheampong and Benoît Badiashile were unable to play the entire ninety minutes against Arne Slot’s Premier League winners. Fortunately, his most recent problem doesn’t seem to be very bad.
Another player out by injury is striker Liam Delap, who was bought from Ipswich Town in the summer. Palmer and João Pedro joined him on the sidelines for the match against Liverpool due to his ban.
However, Palmer is the main draw in west London, and club employees and fans are now anxiously awaiting word on whether he will be healthy enough to play against rival Tottenham Hotspur on November 1.
Palmer has won all four of the games in the series and has three goals and two assists to his name. He also scored two goals in the thrilling 4–3 victory over the Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last December.
