Cole Palmer taunts Tottenham with Chelsea superstar’s injury return on the horizon | OneFootball

Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer has sent a taunting message to rivals Tottenham ahead of the meeting between the two clubs, as manager Enzo Maresca gave an update on his injury.

Palmer was far and away the best Blues player for the past couple of seasons. He was directly involved in 33 Premier League goals in his first season as a Chelsea player and 24 last term.

This season, he’s played just 145 league minutes, with a groin injury giving him problems. Palmer hasn’t played since Chelsea faces Manchester United in September, and won’t be available to face Tottenham on Saturday.

That has not stopped him taunting the London rivals ahead of Chelsea’s meeting with them.

The Blues posted a series on Instagram of moments from their last visit to Tottenham’s stadium, in which they won 4-3, during which Palmer scored two penalties.

One was a Panenka straight down the middle, which sat Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster down. Palmer reshared that on his own Instagram, simply adding a laughing face emoji.

While the superstar won’t be available to face Tottenham, the timeline of his return suggests he could well be back at the end of November, when the Blues face Barcelona and Arsenal.

Blues boss Maresca said of Palmer’s rehabilitation: “Now with Cole, exactly the same plan. Wait, and hopefully he can be back soon.”

If all goes to plan, Palmer will be back after the next international break, which takes place after Chelsea face Wolves on November 8.

The first game back after the break is a Premier League trip to Burnley on the 22nd, before the Champions League tie with Barcelona and home league match against current leaders Arsenal.

Palmer’s involvement should help a Chelsea side who are languishing in ninth in the Premier League and lost to newly-promoted Sunderland last time out, before they were given a tough game by struggling Wolves in the League Cup in the week, Chelsea just scraping past them in a 4-3 victory.

The first test, though, is a Premier League trip to third-placed Tottenham, who have won two of their last three league games.