Cole Palmer Delivers Promising Fitness Update After Overcoming Chelsea Injury Struggles | OneFootball

Cole Palmer already bagged a goal and assist in his first Premier League game this season.

Cole Palmer has admitted that the injuries he dealt with last season hurt him not only physically but also mentally on the pitch.

The 24-year-old missed a big chunk of the first half of last season for Chelsea after sustaining recurring groin issues during last summer’s pre-season.

Palmer was sidelined from late September until early December, and even then, Chelsea had to manage his minutes cautiously after he also fractured his toe in training.

He still finished the season with 11 goals and three assists from 34 appearances across all competitions, but for his standard, it was an underwhelming campaign.

Palmer revealed there were certain things he couldn't do on the pitch because the injuries affected him mentally.

“Many things, mainly just injury, though,” Palmer told Men In Blazers when asked about his dip in performance last season.

“Because you’ve been injured, then you’re going out thinking, ‘Can I do certain things? Can I not?’ – overthinking things.

“You’re not doing things that you used to be able to do because previously it would hurt if you did it and whatnot. But I’m over that now.”

Palmer also delivered some similarly encouraging words in another recent interview.

“Physically I feel good, probably the best I've felt in ages, but I think I can (get fitter) with games and more minutes,” the England international told Sky Sports.

“Before my groin injury, I'd never really been injured. Well, rarely (injured). So then I would just come back and play when I shouldn't have played.

“Since I've come back, I've been working every day to obviously stop it from happening again. I just want to stay injury-free, and if I'm on the pitch, then I know what I can do.”

Palmer was left out of the England squad for the 2026 World Cup after struggling with injuries last season, but this may be a blessing in disguise from Chelsea’s perspective.

The attacking midfielder, as a result, has been able to rest over the summer and join the pre-season under new manager Xabi Alonso on day one.

Palmer could adjust to Alonso’s football earlier than many other key players, and it certainly paid off.

He was arguably Chelsea’s standout player in the 3-2 season-opener win over Fulham last Monday, in which he bagged a goal and an assist.

Chelsea will likely have to remain guarded with Palmer’s workload early this season. However, he did surprisingly make the starting line-up in Thursday’s Carabao Cup second-round tie against League One side Luton Town and played the full 90 minutes.

Still, the lack of European football this season should make it a lot easier to manage his minutes.

Chelsea have also brought in another number 10 in Morgan Rogers this summer. Unlike in the last couple of seasons, Palmer is no longer the only natural number 10 in the squad. He has another high-calibre player to share the creative responsibility with.

Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez, who has been linked with a move away to Manchester City, can both play as central attacking midfielders, but they don't offer what Palmer does in tight spaces.

Keeping Palmer fit and at his best will be key to Chelsea’s season, and Alonso is perfectly aware of it.

Speaking about the star midfielder earlier this week, the manager said: “He wants to be fit. He wants to feel healthy.

“I've said that if we have this Cole and we are able to reach him and he feels that flow in the game and that he connects well with the players, I'm sure that his level is top-class, world-class, I would say, and that he will have a great season.”