Cole Palmer’s return to full training took another strange turn after the Chelsea midfielder fractured his little toe at home. It happened in the most unexpected way, stubbing it on a door on Wednesday night, just hours before he was supposed to join the squad again after two months out with a groin issue.
SoftFootball had already reported the main details on the incident of Cole Palmer’s fractured toe at home, and it quickly became the big talk ahead of the weekend. It comes right before the Burnley match too, as the Blues look to extend Turf Moor dominance.
Enzo Maresca explained he got a late call around 11 PM from the club doctor, which honestly caught him by surprise. He confirmed Palmer will miss the upcoming run of matches, including the Premier League game with Burnley, the Champions League tie against Barcelona, and then the big home meeting with Arsenal.
Nothing too long-term, but Maresca said the pain from even wearing boots makes it impossible for Palmer to train right now. He said the only sure thing is the midfielder will not play this week or the next.
What really stood out, though, was how Maresca talked about Palmer’s importance. He went all in by comparing him to Haaland at City and to Salah at Liverpool in a post shared by Fabrizio Romano on his official X account.
He even added that teams are not the same when those guys are missing, which was his way of explaining why Palmer carries that kind of weight for Chelsea. It sounded big, but he seemed very certain of it.
Still, Maresca said he is proud of the team because they have handled the games without Palmer much better than many expected. Chelsea have surprisingly won 8 of the 11 matches he has not featured in, including tough ones like Liverpool and Spurs.
Fabrizio Romano posted:
Enzo Maresca: I’m very proud of the team performing without Palmer… Because for us, Cole is like Haaland for City.
He’s like Salah for Liverpool, and I guess if Haaland doesn’t play for City or Salah for Liverpool, they’re not the same team.
But Maresca quickly shut down the small narrative that Chelsea might somehow be better without him, saying he feels more comfortable when Palmer is on the pitch and that everyone at the club wants him there.
One thing that has helped is how others have stepped up. Moises Caicedo has quietly become one of the most reliable defensive midfielders in the league, Enzo Fernandez is starting to look like the huge investment Chelsea made, and Joao Pedro has been settling in with confidence.
Even young Estevao is starting to get more involved. Chelsea also got a boost in defence, with Benoit Badiashile finally back from his long spell out, while Fernandez and Pedro Neto are fully fit again after the break. Malo Gusto is in strong form too.
For now, Chelsea remain third in the league, which is honestly impressive considering the number of injuries this season. Palmer’s situation is unlucky, maybe even a bit frustrating, but the mood around the squad does not feel broken at all. They just need him to heal up and get back, hopefully sooner rather than later.
