Chelsea supporters are anxiously waiting for an injury update on Cole Palmer.
Cole Palmer, 23, has been extremely reliable in his first two years at Chelsea, both in terms of his fitness and his consistently excellent performances. However, the England international missed Friday night’s memorable 5-1 win away to West Ham in the Premier League.
Even though he was named in the starting line-up and took part in the warm-up, Palmer was removed from the squad against West Ham at the last moment because he felt a problem.
The attacking midfielder remains the star man at Stamford Bridge, but it was encouraging to see others step up in his absence.
Cole Palmer arrives at the London Stadium before West Ham against Chelsea in the Premier League.
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Cole Palmer set for scan on Tuesday
Journalist Simon Phillips has reported via Substack that Chelsea’s plan with Palmer was to play him against West Ham before undergoing a scan on a groin problem. Even though he was dosed up on painkillers before Friday’s London derby, he was too sore to play.
It is explained that the Blues star will now have a scan on his groin this coming Tuesday to determine the full extent of any issue.
Phillips claims that the ‘initial belief’ is that Palmer could be sidelined for around 4-6 weeks. However, the journalist stresses this is not the final diagnosis, so everyone will need to wait and see the results of the scan. The problem could still turn out to be better or worse.
If Palmer misses any significant length of time, it would be a huge blow to everyone at Stamford Bridge.
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The only consolation is that versatile Blues attacker Joao Pedro has the ability to cover their No.10 position, which he did to perfection against West Ham.
Minutes played Goals Assists Total shots Chances created Accurate passes Was fouled Match rating
90 1 2 3 2 22/26 (85%) 1 9.1
Joao Pedro statistics from West Ham 1-5 Chelsea via FOTMOB
Brazilian media raved about Pedro’s display against West Ham, and it’s quite remarkable how quickly he’s slotted into Enzo Maresca’s side.
Cole Palmer watches from the bench West Ham against Chelsea in the Premier League after picking up an injury in the warm-up.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea need Cole Palmer for upcoming run
If Palmer’s injury news is bad, Chelsea could be in for quite a tough run next month.
Let’s take a look at the Blues’ upcoming Premier League games in the next six weeks, which are separated by the first international break of the season.
Darren Bent rates Palmer as the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League, so it will be a loss to the entire division if he faces a spell on the sidelines.
At some stage, perhaps the amount of football that Palmer has played in the last two years was going to catch up with him. The wait continues for an official update from the club, but the initial brief sounds pretty concerning.