A couple of years ago, Cole Palmer was the only good thing going at Chelsea.
Now, things have flipped. He’s struggling with form, with his injury, and looks unhappy. Ever since he returned from an injury layoff of a couple of months in the Autumn, things have looked off, both in terms of his play and his demeanour.
This has led to speculation about his happiness at Chelsea, and today Liam Rosenior was forced to field questions about that in his press conference.
Rosenior denies negative Palmer rumours
Cole Palmer in action for Chelsea against Aston Villa.
Cole Palmer in action for Chelsea against Aston Villa. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
“I’ve had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very happy to be here,” the new gaffer said.
“He’s a huge part in our long-term plans. My job and the club’s job is to get him into a situation where he can consistently perform to the level he wants to. There was frustration in the Brentford game. We need to look after him and that’s why I didn’t involve him in the last game.”
Palmer’s unhappiness seems to be linked to his bad form, and that seems linked to his injury struggles. Get him fit again and it feels like everything will fall into place. He was left out of the squad in midweek, and only trained for the first time today.
It will be very interesting to see if Rosenior uses him this weekend when we face Crystal Palace.
You can see Rosenior’s words on Palmer in the clip embedded here:
"He's a huge part of our plans in the long term" 📈
Liam Rosenior explains his management of Cole Palmer's minutes ⏰ pic.twitter.com/M83hZHbJz9
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 23, 2026
In other news…
The Chelsea manager had some bad news to deliver on Dario Essugo, the midfielder who signed in the summer and is already on the Romeo Lavia fast track to a wasted first season.
Rosenior also spoke about Palmer’s injury status – the attacker should be fit to play tomorrow, but there are questions about whether he will, given his ongoing struggle for form and fitness.
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Cole Palmer is taken off for Estevao. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
Cole Palmer looks frustrated.
A generic group of Chelsea players celebrate.