It has been far from a banner 2025/26 Premier League season for Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer. The Ballon d’Or hopeful was the hottest player in the league coming into the season after leading his team to Club World Cup victory over reigning Champions League winners PSG as THE best player of the tournament.
But injuries have blighted Palmer’s impact this campaign, as he has only been able to start five Premier League matches and one in the Champions League. Even then, he’s still been ableto score three goals from midfield, making an impact when he is actually able to play.
Palmer has been out with recurring groin problems and a broken toe over the past couple of months, but, now, he has finally recovered and been able to consistently get minutes for the Blues.
The No. 10 has started the last three Premier League games for Chelsea since returning at the beginning of the month, even scoring recently in a 2-0 win over Everton.
However, Palmer has not started for the full 90 minutes yet, as Chelsea are understandably restricting their young star’s minutes to avoid further injury or aggravation since they need him for the top four battle ahead.
Prior to this weekend’s big game against sudden Premier League title challengers Aston Villa, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca dropped some major news on Cole Palmer, stating that he is ready to play the full 90 minutes.
Maresca said, via Fabrizio Romano, “Yes, Cole Palmer is now finally ready to play full 90 minutes”.
Chelsea currently sit fourth in the Premier League but are further behind Villa in third (seven points) than they are ahead of Liverpool, as the Blues and Reds are both tied on 29 points.
So having Palmer fully fit and available for 90 minutes a week will be massive for Chelsea going forward. The title race is not over yet for Chelsea either, and so much rest on the shoulders of their uber talented left footer.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.