Enzo Maresca has had to deal with the majority of the 2025/26 season at Chelsea without Cole Palmer being fit enough to take part.
Palmer has started just two games all season, with one of those against Manchester United seeing him subbed off in the first half.
Chelsea are actually a point better off without Palmer in comparison to where they were at this point last season.
Although, there will be plenty of fans wondering just how close to the top they’d be if he had been fit. The Blues are currently six points behind league leaders Arsenal.
It has been believed for a while that the target was for Palmer to return to face Barcelona in the Champions League, a game which gives them a real chance to lay down a marker to the rest of Europe.
However, it looks as if this is more of a target for the player than the club. According to the Mail Online, the England international would love to play in that game at Stamford Bridge due to the status of the match.
The report goes on to say that Chelsea are not looking to rush him back, hinting that the two parties seem to disagree with when they see his ideal return date should be.
While it is great that the Blues have a player keen to deliver in the big moments, the proof is out there that prioritising caution seems to be the best way to go when it comes to returning players.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty ImagesPalmer must follow Reece James example
Chelsea are currently experiencing a brilliant run of fitness for club captain Reece James. It has been around a year since he last suffered a hamstring injury.
Fantastic work from Enzo Maresca has helped protect the player, and he has tried to do the same with injury-prone Romeo Lavia too.
However, it looks as if there is far more of a struggle to keep Lavia fit, and some Chelsea fans are beginning to lose faith they will ever see the best of him.
Palmer is simply too good for the Blues to let this happen to him, and if he has to miss the Barcelona game, there are plenty of big matches still to come, starting with the Premier League clash with Arsenal just four days later.