Maresca: Palmer will definitely not be able to return next week due to a toe injury, and the team will definitely not be able to do without him

 7:42pm, 21 November 2025
At 20:30 on November 22, in the 12th round of the 2025-26 Premier League season, Chelsea will play Burnley away. Before the game, Blues coach Maresca attended the press conference. He talked about some of the team's current situation.

Latest news on Palmer's injury

- He will not be able to play tomorrow, and he will not be able to play against Barcelona and Arsenal. Unfortunately, he injured his toe at home. However, the injury was not serious. But what is certain is that he will definitely not be able to return next week.

Back to Palmer

- We don't know yet, he has a broken toe, we just know he won't be able to play this week and next week. I often wake up at night to go to the toilet and bump into my head and legs. This happens inevitably.

About Disasi

-I have said many times before that Disasi and Sterling are both Chelsea players. Disasi is helping the second team, the young players. We only had five or six players left in the team during the international break. Disasi also trained with the second team players a few times, but I think there was only one training session. Currently, he is helping out with the second team. He is a Chelsea player and he is in the second team now.

Regarding Joensen's transfer rumors

- I talked to Joensen about this at the beginning of the season, but I haven't talked to him again in the past few days. It’s completely normal for all players who haven’t played a lot to want more playing time.

About Esteban

- He has just returned from the national team and scored two goals in the national team. He was very happy and we were very happy for him.

About Gusteau's recent status

- We have said many times that Gusteau is a key player in our tactical system. He can play multiple positions and we like players who can give us flexibility. Personally, I think Gusteau is the core player of our team.

On the positive passing game against Wolves

- It will be a different game. Tomorrow we need to use different strategies and tactics. It will be a difficult game after the international break, an away game at 12:30 noon, which is always difficult.

Regarding Palmer's groin injury

- He was in good shape and almost recovered. He has almost returned to team training, which is of course good news, but he still has a little problem.

About Palmer's World Cup prospects

- For me personally, Palmer is one of our best players. There is no doubt that he is capable of playing for any national team, but it ultimately depends on Tuchel's decision.

Regarding other injuries on the team

- Caicedo was back last night and I will see him soon. He's in good shape. Badiashile can play tomorrow, Enzo and Neto have used this rest time to recover their strength and injuries, and they can both play tomorrow.

More news on Palmer's toe injury

- The last time I saw him was yesterday morning, he was wearing no socks, no slippers, nothing. I don't know what his condition was today, it was in the locker room. He's not limping and seems fine, but the injury is to his little toe, so it's probably going to be pretty painful.

Can Chelsea cope without Palmer?

——Absolutely not (laughing), I don’t think so. The team prefers having Palmer on the court, and I feel more comfortable when he is on the court, but when he is not, we need to find a solution. The team is doing very well now, really well. It's certainly a good thing for any coach when his team is missing a player but can still play the way he wants.