Chelsea are worried about the fitness of Cole Palmer, who has not returned to training ahead of the match against Tottenham next week. The Blues will host Spurs in mid-next week with the aim of recovering from a 0-1 loss to Arsenal before the international break.
Palmer was absent from the Arsenal defeat after manager Enzo Maresca revealed that he was injured. Due to muscle problems, the 22-year-old player was also forced to withdraw from the England team, after being called up by coach Thomas Tuchel for matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Maresca continues to organize training sessions at Cobham for players who did not compete during the FIFA Days in March. Among them is striker Nicolas Jackson, who will return to play for Tottenham after a two-month absence due to a hamstring injury.
However, according to the Daily Mail, Palmer did not participate in the recent training sessions. Chelsea initially did not think his injury was serious as Palmer was taken for a second photo shoot at the start of the international break.
Palmer's absence to Spurs could be a big blow, as the England international has scored twice in the first leg of this season. However, the 22-year-old has not been fit since the beginning of 2025, having only scored 2 goals, especially missing his first penalty in his career and not having any assists.
Maresca tried to ease Palmer's problems last month. "It's normal. Like a team. You can't expect Cole Palmer, every season or every game, to be like last season or like the start of the season.
That is normal. He's human, he's missing a few things and now that's how we react. I told Palmer that. Everything is normal. He's happy, he's okay," the Italian strategist affirmed.
Jackson's return is expected to boost Palmer's form. In the loss to Arsenal, Pedro Neto was used as a temporary "number 9".
Chelsea released a positive update about Jackson on Wednesday, sharing a photo of the Senegalese player practicing at Cobham. At the same time, The Blues also confirmed that the striker had trained "on the pitch" before hosting Tottenham.
Chelsea are currently fourth in the Premier League table and determined to qualify for next season's Champions League. Therefore, the return of Palmer and Jackson is something Maresca's team is looking forward to.
