Cole Palmer has been ruled out again after suffering what Enzo Maresca described as a fractured toe from a small accident at home, adding another frustrating twist to a season already packed with stop-start moments for the young attacker.
Speaking on Friday, the Chelsea boss explained that Palmer injured his little toe after bumping into a door in the middle of the night, just when he was almost ready to return from the groin problem he picked up earlier in the campaign. His first injury had actually happened in the early minutes of the clash against Manchester United, as reported by SoftFootball.
The timing honestly could not be worse for Chelsea. Palmer will now miss the trip to Burnley, the Champions League tie with Barcelona, and the big match against Arsenal to close out November, as reported by Fabrizio Romano on his official X account.
Fabrizio Romano posted:
Enzo Maresca: Cole Palmer has a fractured toe after an accident at home. He is probably not available for Burnley… Barcelona or Arsenal, for sure.
His toe it’s fractured… Cole was almost back from the groin injury but now he has this small issue.
Maresca sounded a bit disappointed but tried to stay calm, saying Palmer was almost back from the groin issue before this fresh setback. He even joked that he sometimes knocks into things at night too, so these things just happen, even if they do feel unlucky at the worst time.
It’s a tough blow because the 23-year-old has been such a key part of Chelsea’s attack whenever he’s fit, scoring goals freely since joining in 2023.
The team have still managed to keep their shape without him, though, winning eight of their last eleven matches, including the dominant performance over Wolves. Still, even Maresca admitted the team feels better with Palmer on the pitch, and most fans would agree with that without thinking too hard.
There was at least a bit of positive news. Enzo Fernández and Pedro Neto are both cleared to return, while Benoit Badiashile is almost ready too. Maresca confirmed that Moisés Caicedo is back from his international duty, which gives the squad some balance at a time when every healthy player matters.
For now, the hope is that Palmer’s toe heals quickly, even if nobody wants to guess a return date just yet.
