Why has Palmer been unable to get over his injury?
- Published
It is no secret that Cole Palmer is one of Chelsea's star players, so any prolonged absence is a major blow.
The 23-year-old was involved in 39 Premier League goals in 2024 (26 goals and 13 assists), breaking Chelsea's club record for a single calendar year.
Last season, Palmer starred in the Conference League and Club World Cup finals, delivering two goals and three assists across both matches.
Medical staff have since dealt with Palmer's painful recurring groin injury, trying unsuccessfully to manage him through the season so far.
Palmer withdrew from the warm-up minutes before facing West Ham in August, pulled out of England international duty in September, and came off after 21 minutes in the defeat at Manchester United.
That game at Old Trafford proved to be the final straw, as Chelsea stopped trying to manage Palmer through the season and sought to resolve his injury once and for all.
The current stance from Maresca and the club is that surgery will not be needed, but it remains to be seen whether Palmer can fully overcome the injury after this latest setback within the new time frame.