London, September 26, 2025 – On the eve of Chelsea’s must-win Premier League clash with Brighton, Enzo Maresca has delivered a hammer blow: Cole Palmer is ruled out yet again.
The 23-year-old playmaker, central to Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph and last season’s 22-goal campaign, remains sidelined with a groin injury — his third setback in three weeks.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Maresca admitted at Cobham. “No surgery, thankfully, but he needs proper recovery. He’ll miss Brighton and maybe longer.”
Palmer’s repeated absences have rattled Stamford Bridge, with fans flooding X under #ProtectPalmer and #MarescaOut. The news comes as goalkeeper Robert Sánchez also struggles with a hamstring knock, leaving understudy Filip Jørgensen likely to start despite Sánchez’s suspension ending.
Chelsea’s injury list continues to grow, with Levi Colwill, Benoît Badiashile, and Romeo Lavia all out. That leaves new arrivals João Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho, and Carabao Cup hat-trick hero Facundo Buonanotte to shoulder the load.
Brighton, fresh from a 6-0 cup thrashing of lower-league opponents, remain winless away but will be eager to strike back after Chelsea poached Pedro and Buonanotte in big-money moves.
For Chelsea, the stakes couldn’t be higher: victory could lift them to fifth, while defeat risks falling further behind Arsenal and Manchester City. Without Palmer’s creativity, Maresca faces his sternest test yet at Stamford Bridge.
