Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior addresses Cole Palmer homesick rumours | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has firmly stated that Cole Palmer is "very happy" at the club, directly addressing recent reports suggesting the England international was homesick.

Palmer, who joined Stamford Bridge in 2023 from Manchester City after struggling for minutes under Pep Guardiola, has endured a challenging period marked by injury and a dip in form.

The 23-year-old has found the net only four times in the Premier League this season and displayed visible frustration during the latter stages of last Saturday’s 2-0 home victory against Brentford.

"I’ve had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very happy to be here, he is very happy to be here," Rosenior confirmed.

"He’s a huge part of our plans in the long term. He’s an outstanding player. Every player goes through difficult moments in their career in terms of injury. It’s not any reflection of his quality."

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Liam Rosenior insisted Cole Palmer is ‘very happy’ at Chelsea (Getty Images)

Palmer was among several players whose fitness and playing time became a contentious issue under former boss Enzo Maresca.

Club officials were reportedly displeased with Maresca's attempts to rush players back from injury, often against medical advice, with Palmer’s persistent groin problem contributing to internal disagreements.

Rosenior’s appointment was made with the understanding that he would adhere to guidelines from medical staff, a stance the club is unwilling to compromise on.

"My job, the club’s job, is to get (Palmer) a place where he can consistently perform at the level he wants to," he explained.

"There was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn’t happy, but because he was in pain and couldn’t perform to the level he wanted to for the club."

The head coach emphasised a cautious approach to player welfare. "He’s a great kid but we have to make sure we look after him in the right way. That’s why I haven’t involved him in the last game.

“I want to look after the players, I want them to perform at their very peak level. There’s a number of players that we have to look after in a different way, not just force them out not to perform.

“I’ve rotated the squad and I’ll continue to do that. I want to make sure the players come though this period with wins and in full health, and Cole is one of those players."

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Rosenior believes Palmer is frustrated due to not being able to play to his highest level after injury setbacks (Reuters)

Rosenior also expressed satisfaction with the leadership within his squad, despite a perceived lack of overtly vocal figures on the pitch.

"I’ve played with players who are very loud, who shout and point but who hide from the ball and don’t take responsibility," he remarked. "I won’t name names. There’s different ways to lead.

“My generation is different to the younger generation in terms of communication. But I love the group. Whether it’s Reece (James) or Enzo (Fernandez) or Moises (Caicedo) or Trevoh Chalobah or Tosin (Adarabioyo).

“They’re all leaders in their own right. They have to be themselves. I’m not going to ask them to be something they’re not."