Chelsea sent warning over Cole Palmer injury as new return date put forward after surgery

Chelsea have been warned that Cole Palmer could miss the rest of the calendar year due to his ongoing groin injury.

The Blues forward is currently sidelined, with head coach Enzo Maresca recently confirming Palmer would be out until after the international break at the earliest.

However, Premier League injury analyst Ben Dinnery told Esports Bets that if surgery is required, the England international could face a far longer spell on the sidelines.

• Every word Enzo Maresca said on Chelsea red cards, Joao Pedro, Benfica win in Champions League
• Joao Pedro receives Champions League ban as Chelsea beat Jose Mourinho's Benfica

“Cole Palmer has been struggling with an ongoing groin injury and there will certainly be discussions within Chelsea regarding the best course of action to take and how best to manage him,” Dinnery said.

“Behind the scenes they’ll be weighing up whether it’s best to have him out for two to three weeks, see how he responds to that and bring him back after the next international break, as opposed to going straight to surgery and potentially ruling him out for three months.

“Given how valuable he is to that Chelsea team, what’s another couple of weeks if they can have him back in the squad by the end of October? If you go under the knife, that could be the end of his 2025.”

Palmer’s absence is a major blow for Chelsea. Since joining from Manchester City, he has been the club’s standout performer, scoring 37 goals across his first two full Premier League seasons.

Chelsea’s recent form has also been patchy. While a midweek Champions League win over Benfica eased some of the pressure on Maresca, the Blues have suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats to Manchester United and Brighton.

Palmer sustained the injury in the loss to United. At the time, Maresca said he did not believe surgery would be necessary.

“The medical staff didn’t mention surgery to me,” Maresca said on September 22. “I don’t know if that changes in the next days or weeks, but I don’t think so, to be honest.”