With Cole Palmer, Chelsea made no mistake. Accustomed to spending lavishly, the Blues have sometimes made recruitment errors in recent years. But they should not regret the €47 million invested to snatch the player from Manchester City in 2023. During his first season with the residents of Stamford Bridge, the England international shone in the 45 matches in which he participated. Indeed, he scored 25 goals and delivered 15 assists, almost making the Skyblues regret having let go of him.
More than 100 days of absence this season
During the following season, the Manchester native was expected to turn the corner. And he was able to meet expectations, without pressure. Thus, he ended the 2024-25 financial year with a record of 15 goals and 11 assists in 42 matches in all competitions. Ranked 8th during the last Ballon d’Or ceremony, Palmer was however a little more bothered by injuries. Absent only once during his first year with the Londoners (cold, 4 days of absence, 1 missed match), he was a bit more present in the infirmary last year.
In fact, he was stopped twice. The first time, he suffered from muscle fatigue. Which required 6 days of absence (1 missed match). Then, an ischio injury kept her away from the field for 20 days, meaning 4 missed matches. This season, Palmer took out a subscription to the infirmary. It all started with a groin strain in August. Result 22 days off and 2 missed matches. Then he relapsed in September. He was on the sidelines for 60 days (missing 12 matches) until mid-November. In the process, he suffered a broken toe (10 days, 2 missed matches).
Palmer has the blues
Just when he thought his worries were over, the 23-year-old suffered a thigh problem at the start of January. He thus missed 8 days of competition (2 matches). Yesterday, he was not present to face Pafos in C1. His trainer, Liam Rosenior, gave his news. “As a precaution. He felt something really, really minor during the Brentford game. It was actually quite early in the match, so credit to him for holding on. But I don’t want to take any chances with my players at this point, especially with players of Cole’s caliber. He has a very good chance of participating and starting the match on Sunday against Crystal Palace. We will continue to prepare it accordingly.
Betrayed by his body 5 times this season, he has already missed 19 matches and 101 days of competition. He has only participated in 13 matches this season, including 10 as a starter. Regarding his statistics, he scored 5 goals (0 assists). Chelsea hope he returns to fitness. But not only that. In England, several media reports indicate that he does not feel well in London and that he would like to return home to Manchester. This has not escaped Manchester United, which is following the case of the former City man closely according to the Daily Express. His salary would not be a problem for the Red Devils. It remains to be seen what the main person concerned thinks about it.
