Cole Palmer was scratched from Chelsea’s starting lineup versus West Ham United following a reported injury in warm-ups, as Blues teenager Estevao Willian took the midfielder’s place in a 5-1 rout at the London Stadium.
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Palmer took a place on the Chelsea bench in a long coat, fueling hope that his absence is only a minor concern
Reports out of the London Stadium said Palmer “felt something” and was removed from the lineup out of precaution.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was asked about it after the game.
Enzo Maresca comments on Cole Palmer injury
Palmer has been very durable for Chelsea, playing 37 Premier League matches last season after appearing in 33 the previous season.
His boss, Enzo Maresca, didn’t seem to be supremely worried about Palmer. Maresca said Chelsea’s star hasn’t been fully fit this week and the team decided not to risk him after a blip during warm-ups.
“In the last 4-5 days he was not 100 percent and tonight during the warm-up he again felt something,” Maresca said. “We preferred not to take any risk of it getting worse. Let’s see in the next hours.”
Enzo Maresca issued a brief update on Cole Palmer after the Chelsea star was withdrawn from the line-up moments before their match with West Ham 💬 pic.twitter.com/STOUOPTDcE
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 22, 2025
The 23-year-old England playmaker has 43 goals and 29 assists in 98 career appearances for the Blues since moving from Manchester City early in the 2023-24 season.
