Cole Palmer could miss Chelsea’s next 10 matches as crushing new blow revealed
Cole Palmer could potentially miss as many as 10 more games after suffering another injury blow at Chelsea.
The England international has had his campaign heavily disrupted by injury concerns so far, and he hasn’t kicked a ball in the Premier League since his team’s defeat to Manchester United on 20 September.
Palmer had been on the verge of a return for Chelsea last week, before Enzo Maresca confirmed that he had fractured his toe in an accident that occurred away from the club.
Maresca initially suggested that his talisman would miss the upcoming clashes against Barcelona and Arsenal, but the true extent of the injury has now been revealed, and it is not good news for the Blues.
Palmer faces six weeks on the sidelines for Chelsea
Palmer had briefly hinted at a return for Chelsea with a cryptic post on his Instagram story last week, but his latest setback appears to have made that a distant possibility once again.
Although fairly innocuous in its nature, the 23-year-old’s latest injury could potentially keep him out of action for up to six weeks.
That update comes from the football injury analyst Physio Scout, who boasts over 50,000 followers on X, and he was very frank in his assessment of the injury for Daily Sports.
Palmer has fractured the little toe on his left foot, and the injury expert has noted that he will likely be able to walk around the training ground with little pain, but “90 minutes of sharp plants inside a tight boot is a completely different load.”
It is understood that a toe fracture usually needs around three to six weeks of recovery time for the bone to heal properly, but the shorter end of that timeframe is only possible if the line of the fracture is favourable.
A six-week lay-off would see Palmer ruled out until 31 December, and with the hectic festive period set to be in full swing by then, the timing couldn’t really be worse for Chelsea.
Maresca’s initial assessment of a potential one-week absence could soon become a 10-game one if the recovery period is prolonged.
Chelsea’s fixture are favourable during Palmer lay-off
Palmer is integral to Chelsea’s title push, and they will be desperate to get him back fit and firing as quickly as possible.
However, the West Londoners can at least take solace from the fact that they have a fairly favourable run of fixtures for a large spell of that six-week period.
| Home | Away |
| 25 November – Barcelona | 3 December – Leeds United |
| 30 November – Arsenal | 6 December – Bournemouth |
| 13 December – Everton | 9 December – Atalanta |
| 27 December – Aston Villa | 16 December – Cardiff City |
| 30 December – Bournemouth | 20 December – Newcastle United |
After this week’s tests against Barcelona and Arsenal, the Blues face a run of games that sees them take on the likes of Leeds, Bournemouth and Newcastle in Premier League action, while there are also clashes with Atalanta in the Champions League and Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup.
With that in mind, Maresca and co. will surely be pleased with the fact that next weekend’s meeting with Arsenal is the only game that Palmer is likely to miss against a fellow title challenger.
The injury is certainly unwelcome for all concerned, but it could easily have left Chelsea with a far worse situation to contend with.