Why Cole Palmer’s “change in physique” shouldn’t worry Chelsea fans | OneFootball

Cole Palmer is on the road to recovery from a persistent injury, and it seems he’s close to a return. Matt Law’s piece for the Daily Telegraph speculates about a potential return date for the midfielder.

Fans unsure about Palmer’s gym work

Cole Palmer controls the ball in midfield. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

One thing we missed in his piece was discussion about how Palmer has spent his frustrating time on the side-lines letting his groin heal. “It has been noticed inside Cobham that Palmer has spent his time wisely in the gym while he has been injured, which has been noticeable in a change of physique,” Law writes.

“Bulking up” is one of those silly things that football fans fixate on and blame for players who struggle after a l long term injury. But usually it smells like nonsense.

Firstly, “working on your upper body strength” is such a well worn trope in these circumstances. There’s not much more a player can do when they’ve got an injury, if they want to rest it but also stay fit. There’s also not much for journalists can write about when they’re out.

Clearly in some cases we’ve seen players get too big and bulky, but usually this sort of thing this has very little effect on their overall game compared to so many other factors it’s not worth worrying about. Palmer is not a speedster in any case, and we can only see him benefitting from a bit more muscle – it’s hardly going to drain the magic from his boots.

In other news…

Yesterday saw some duelling transfer news as both Fabrizio Romano and Ben Jacobs disagreed over the future of a Chelsea player.

The Blues return to action on Saturday with a game against Burnley, and while it’s not the biggest on the calendar, there’s a reason Enzo Maresca’s team selection will matter a lot.