Chelsea star Cole Palmer is in a race against time to be fit for their April 3 Premier League showdown versus Tottenham Hotspur.
According to the [Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14544105/Cole-Palmer-facing-race-against-time-fit-weeks-London-derby-Tottenham-Chelsea-star-return-training-picking-muscle-injury.html?ico=authors_pagination_mobile), the 22-year-old has still not participated in group training with less than a week till matchday.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will be sweating over the fitness of his talisman. The Blues are looking to bounce back from their deflating 1-0 loss to Arsenal before the international break, and Palmer is key to those plans.
[The England international attacking midfielder may be in rotten form](https://footballtoday.com/2025/02/24/palmer-will-bounce-back-from-his-barren-spell-at-chelsea/), but he has still recorded 14 goals and created 19 big chances (six assists) in 28 Premier League games. He will be a massive miss in the must-win Spurs clash if he does not get fit.
Chelsea face a fight to qualify for the UEFA Champions League with nine key games to go, and the fixture list doesn’t get any easier.
The Blues lock horns with Tottenham, Ipswich Town, Brentford, Fulham, Everton, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Nottingham Forest. They need Palmer to find his groove and start delivering the goods.
Hopefully, Jackson, who is back from injury after two months, can also find his mojo alongside Noni Madueke, who remains on the treatment table.
Chelsea knew they had a gruelling season ahead and needed options, but they still let £46.3 million signing Joao Felix leave in the middle of the season. That was not the wisest move by the Blues’ sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
Now, Palmer is injured and off-form. Jadon Sancho has also been blunt on the left wing and could use some time on the bench.
Chelsea need Felix. The Portuguese attacker is now underwhelming at AC Milan when he could have been helping back at Stamford Bridge.
This is part of the inept sporting leadership and ponderous decision-making that has plunged Chelsea deep into this quagmire where they are far from challenging for titles.
Chelsea’s season hangs in the balance, and their fate could be decided by key players stepping up at the right time. With Palmer struggling for fitness and form and the squad battling injuries, the Blues must find inspiration from within to navigate this finale.