Liam Duckstein
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has admitted that Cole Palmer’s persistent groin issue remains a major concern — but he has not ruled out the possibility of surgery.
Palmer’s Ongoing Struggles
The 23-year-old first picked up the problem during pre-season and has already missed two Premier League fixtures against West Ham United and Fulham. He was also absent from England’s September internationals, though he has since returned to feature in Chelsea’s last three matches.
Palmer came off the bench against Brentford on September 13, started against Bayern Munich four days later, and was named in the XI against Manchester United. However, his involvement at Old Trafford was cut short after just 21 minutes, with Maresca forced to adjust following Robert Sanchez’s red card.
Maresca on Surgery Concerns
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s EFL Cup third-round tie against Lincoln City, Maresca acknowledged that Palmer’s condition needs careful monitoring:
“Cole probably is the only one that we need to assess a little bit. The rest, they are okay. He did a huge effort to play on Saturday, but he was not 100%. It’s more day by day, week by week, game by game,” Maresca explained.
When asked about the prospect of surgery, the Chelsea boss stressed that the medical staff had not raised the subject — at least for now:
“The medical staff, they didn’t mention to me about surgery until today. I don’t know if in the next days or the next weeks, but I don’t think so, to be honest.”
Fixture Pile-Up Ahead
Chelsea face four more matches before the October international break, starting with a Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion before hosting Benfica in the Champions League. Palmer’s availability could prove decisive given his remarkable impact since arriving from Manchester City in 2024 — 45 goals and 29 assists in just 101 appearances.
Other Chelsea Absentees
Romeo Lavia and Benoît Badiashile remain sidelined but have returned to partial training. Levi Colwill, Liam Delap, and Dario Essugo are also unavailable, while Maresca confirmed that Moisés Caicedo and João Pedro are managing minor issues.
The Blues will be determined to bounce back from their defeat to Manchester United when they face Lincoln in the EFL Cup — but all eyes will be on whether Palmer is fit enough to feature.