Cole Palmer, the Chelsea forward, is ready to return to action against Arsenal after overcoming a series of injuries that hindered his progress this season. The 21-year-old has faced many of them head-on. He dealt with a persistent groin condition that kept him out for ten weeks and recently broke the toe on his right foot in a home mishap. After all those misfortunes, Palmer is back in shape and ready to play, and could be selected when Chelsea welcomes Arsenal on Sunday to Stamford Bridge.
Palmer’s absence from the pitch has been key to Chelsea’s squad. His injuries forced him to miss three matches and he has not played a full 90 minutes since Sept. 17th. His last significant contribution came during a Champions League match where he scored in a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich. Palmer has only started twice in the Premier League thus far with Palmer. As a result of this limited playing time, he has contributed less to the team’s attacking efforts.
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s recently appointed manager couldn’t hide his excitement at the prospect of linking Palmer up with the talented Brazilian Estevao. Estevao recently made headlines by scoring in a 3-0 victory over Barcelona, showcasing his potential as a rising star in the squad. Maresca feels that the two players can feed off one another on the pitch, opening up space for Chelsea to take their game to a new level.
“Everyone is happy, team-mates are happy [he is back]. The most important thing is that Cole is happy. Football players want to play games.” – Enzo Maresca
Palmer’s return couldn’t have come at a better time for Chelsea, who are looking to put together a winning run of form in the Premier League. Maresca was firm on the need to be patient. He stressed, though, that while short-term wins matter, it’s the cumulative impact of the team’s work over time that determines their success.
“If we win, if we don’t win, it’s too early. We are in November; we have six months to go. It’s very important where we are in February and March and from there we decide and we see if we can achieve something important.” – Enzo Maresca
With Palmer back in contention, Chelsea surely fancy their chances of making a big statement against Arsenal. The forward’s abilities and recent experiences may provide the spark needed to ignite the team’s performance. As Chelsea seeks to climb the Premier League standings, both Palmer and Estevao hold the potential to deliver impactful performances.
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