Alex MacQuoid
Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Cole Palmer will be out for roughly six more weeks as he continues to recover from a recurring groin problem.The 23-year-old forward last played a competitive match on 20 September, when the injury flared up again. It first showed during Chelsea’s shortened pre-season after their Club World Cup run, and has proved difficult to manage this term.
“I was wrong,” Maresca said at a news conference on Friday. “Unfortunately, he needs to be out probably six more weeks. So, yes, this is the update.”
The manager stressed the club’s aim is a full recovery rather than a quick fix. He expects surgery will not be necessary and described the medical staff as doing everything they can to protect the player.
“We try to protect Cole as much as we can. The most important thing is when he comes back, he is fully fit.
The medical staff are not magicians. We hope six weeks are enough. We need to see it step-by-step. For sure, he’s going to be OK. He looks relaxed. He has tried to recover from the injury and is doing all the therapy.”
Maresca also acknowledged Palmer is a major loss for the side.
“To replace Cole is difficult, because Cole is a very important player for us – probably one of the best players in the Premier League – so to replace that kind of player is always difficult. We don’t have another player like Cole, because Cole is unique.”
Palmer scored 15 Premier League goals last season and has been one of Chelsea’s standout performers. In 2024 he was involved in 39 goals for the club across the calendar year — 26 goals and 13 assists — breaking Chelsea’s single-year record.
Medical staff have tried to manage the problem during the campaign. Palmer withdrew during the warm-up before the West Ham game in August, pulled out of England international duty in September, and was substituted after 21 minutes in the defeat at Manchester United.
Under the six-week estimate Palmer will miss Premier League fixtures including matches against Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley and Arsenal, plus a League Cup tie at Wolves. He would also be unavailable for Champions League ties with Ajax, Qarabag and Barcelona, and will miss England’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.
Maresca said the club rested Palmer before the international break in the hope he would be ready by November, but the recovery has taken longer than expected. The manager urged patience as the situation is monitored week by week.
The current message from Chelsea is that surgery is unlikely, but the club and player face a fresh setback to manage in the run-up to a busy winter schedule.