By KIERAN GILL, MAIL SPORT REPORTER
Published: 07:59 EST, 12 December 2025 | Updated: 08:00 EST, 12 December 2025
Enzo Maresca says Cole Palmer ended Chelsea's last training session with 'mixed feelings', but the Blues boss believes the 23-year-old Englishman will be fine to face Everton on Saturday.
Palmer skipped his side's Champions League trip to Atalanta in midweek to focus on building his fitness. He started in last weekend's 0-0 Premier League draw at Bournemouth, which was his first start since September following a groin issue, and could do so again versus Everton.
Wesley Fofana is also expected to be fine to face the visitors after overcoming an eye injury, but Liam Delap, Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo all remain sidelined, as does Moises Caicedo as he serves the third and final game of his suspension.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Maresca said: 'He (Palmer) is OK. He is better. He is at the moment available. We have one more session this afternoon. Yesterday he finished the session with us with a mixed feeling, but overall he is okay.'
On Fofana, who was unable to finish the 2-1 loss to Atalanta on Tuesday after receiving his blow to the face, he added: 'He's available. He's fine. He took part in the session yesterday. He is completely fine.'
Chelsea's Cole Palmer ended training with 'mixed feelings' according to Enzo Maresca
Maresca left Palmer out of the mid-week Champions League trip - and Chelsea lost
Maresca was named the Premier League's manager of the month for November – beating Tottenham, Wolves and Burnley while drawing with Arsenal with 10 men – but December has seen them struggle. They have lost to Leeds, drawn with Bournemouth and been beaten by Atalanta.
Chelsea's head coach said: 'For us, November was fantastic. December, we didn't start in the way we would like. Even if it's one week ago we played Leeds. It's three games in a row in one week that we didn't get results we expected. But now focus on the next one.
'It's football – it's completely normal. I understand that we are always looking for problems and things that we need to solve. The Leeds game was last Wednesday and now, in eight days we are not going to change our season because we didn't get the points we expected. I'm completely relaxed.
'I'm completely OK because I'm sure that at the end of the season, we're going to be where we have to be. It's football, that's the reason why we dropped points.'