Cole Palmer has been declared fit to face Arsenal in Sunday’s Premier League showdown at Stamford Bridge, handing Chelsea a significant boost as they aim to cut the gap at the top to three points.
The 23-year-old fractured his toe after stubbing it on a door last week, ruling him out of victories over Burnley and Barcelona. It has been a stop-start season for the England international, who has managed just five appearances across all competitions due to injuries.
“He is available to start,” confirmed Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. “Everyone is happy — the teammates, the staff — but most importantly Cole is happy, because a footballer wants to play and train every day. He is our best player. We’re delighted he’s back, though we still need to give him time to be 100% fit.”
Maresca had initially warned that the Arsenal match, kicking off at 16:30 GMT, might have come too soon for Palmer. His return is a timely lift for Chelsea, who sit second behind the Gunners and have played 13 matches since his last appearance — a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on 20 September — winning 10 of them.
Palmer, signed from Manchester City for £40m in September 2023, has topped Chelsea’s scoring charts in both of his Premier League seasons, netting 22 goals in his debut campaign and 15 last term.
In his absence, summer signing Estevao Willian has impressed with five goals in all competitions, and Maresca hinted that the two could feature together.
“[It] depends on the game plan,” he said. “They are exciting — the fans are excited and so are we — but we always need the right balance.”
