Chelsea have been hit with another injury blow after Cole Palmer fractured a toe in a freak accident at home, delaying his long-awaited return to first-team action.
The 23-year-old forward, who had been close to training again following two months out with a groin issue, stubbed the small toe on his left foot against a door on Wednesday night. The mishap will sideline him for at least another week.
Palmer is now ruled out of Chelsea’s next three fixtures — Saturday’s Premier League trip to Burnley, Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, and next weekend’s meeting with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
“It’s nothing serious, but he won’t be back this week,” manager Enzo Maresca confirmed. “He had an accident at home and hit his toe. These things can happen.”
Palmer last featured in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on 20 September and has played just four games this season. Despite his absence, the Blues have won eight of 11 matches in all competitions and sit third in the Premier League.
Maresca admitted the team is stronger with Palmer available: “His team-mates are better players with Cole. I feel much better when he is on the pitch. He was almost back with us.”
Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto and Benoît Badiashile are all fit again, while Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi remain part of the club’s ‘bomb squad’, despite Disasi briefly joining first-team sessions during the international break.
Palmer remains Chelsea’s standout attacking talent, having starred last season under Mauricio Pochettino and earning Player of the Tournament honours as the club lifted the Club World Cup in the summer.
Chelsea face a congested schedule after his return, with games against Leeds United, Bournemouth and Atalanta packed into a nine-day stretch. The toe injury is not considered serious, and the club believe he has put his recurring groin concern behind him.
In Palmer’s absence, youngsters and new signings — including Estevão Willian, Facundo Buonanotte, Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens and João Pedro — have all stepped up to keep Chelsea’s momentum rolling.
